Delayed but recognition finally comes Amit’s way

NEW DELHI: Normally, the National Sports Day marks smartly turned out sportspersons for the ceremony at the Durbar Hall. Happily posing for photos after the awards ceremony, the winners’ quick quotes are like, ‘How happy or lucky I am to get the award’ or ‘it is a big honour’.

PV Sindhu, who was the first to get the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Sakshi Malik, Dipa Karmakar and Jitu Rai were happy to get country’s highest sporting award.

For some, the celebrations at the Durbar Hall in Rashtrapati Bhawan had a different meaning.

Amit Kumar was expressionless after finally getting his hands on the Arjuna Award on Monday. The grappler’s application was not considered erroneously in 2014 by the awards committee following reports that he had failed a dope test.

It turned out that it was another wrestler by the same name who had failed the dope test. Amit is still sore about the mix up, as he had to wait for two years to wear the maroon jacket.

“What do you think I should feel? I would have been happier had I got the award in 2014 because then I deserved it more,” Amit told HT.

“Can you believe it? They denied me because a wrestler by the same name failed a dope test. I protested but they went ahead with the announcement. It was very disappointing. Anyway, I have finally got it, so it is okay but that mix-up still baffles me,” added Amit, who won silver at the 2013 World Championships.

Fellow Olympian and wrestler Vinesh Phogat too had mixed feelings after getting the award. She got the loudest cheer when her name was announced. Seated in a wheelchair, the leg in a cast, even President Pranab Mukherjee was sympathetic.

She still rued the fact that injury to the knee in the quarterfinal against China’s Sun Yanan ended her dreams of winning a medal at the Rio Games. “It is a ligament tear,” she said. Vinesh is expected to be out of action for four to five months.

Rajat Chauhan, who was awarded the Arjuna this year, is mulling a change in discipline. The compound archer says he might switch to recurve in two years’ time.

“I am waiting to hear the good news when it comes to compound archery. If the International Olympic Committee doesn’t make it a demo sport for the 2020 Olympic Games, then I’ll have no option but to switch to recurve,” he said.

“I know people will say it will be tough as all my life I have been in compound…but I know I can do this if I have to. Hard work hi to karna hai (we have to work hard)… we have been doing this all our lives,” said Chauhan, who won a silver medal at the 2015 World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark.