On 71st Republic Day, the nation conferred the distinguished Padma 2020 awards to the renowned personalities form various fields. Among those recipients, there are some eminent sports personalities. The two prominent names are – the bowing legend Mary Kom and ace shuttler PV Sindhu, who received Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan respectively. The Padma Vibhushan is the second highest civilian award after the Bharat Ratna, while Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in India
The six-time world champion Mary Kom has brought many laurels to India in her illustrious career. ‘Magnificent Mary’ scripted history by becoming the first Indian boxer to clinch eight medals. P. V. Sindhu has also been the pride of our nation as she bagged silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics and has made an indelible mark in the sports world, being the only world champion in badminton. She has also won four other World Championships medals including 2 silver and 2 bronze, along with the gold she won last year.
Six sports personalities who received Padma Shri include cricketer Zaheer Khan, former Indian men's hockey player M. P. Ganesh, former Indian women's football team captain Oinam Bembem Devi, shooter Jitu Rai, current Indian women's hockey captain Rani Rampal and archer Tarundeep Rai.
