New Delhi: The golden girl of India Hockey Rani Rampal on Friday said that the 'Khel Ratna will serve as a great motivation' after she was conferred with the highest sporting honour of the country. Hockey India on Friday also congratulated Indian women's team captain Rani Rampal for the same.
The national governing body for hockey also congratulated Ajit Singh for being awarded the Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sports, Romesh Pathania with the Dronacharya Award (Lifetime achievement) and Jude Felix with the Dronacharya Award as recognition for their contributions to Indian hockey over the years.
Hockey India also congratulated Deepika and Akashdeep Singh for being conferred with the Arjuna Award for their contribution to the nation at the international stage.
"It is a really proud moment for me and especially for my family. The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award is one of the most prestigious awards that a sportsperson can receive, and I owe this to my coaches, teammates, friends and family for their constant support since the very beginning.
"It is an amazing feeling when your hard work is rewarded, and I believe this award will serve as a great motivation for me and players like me to keep striving for bigger feats and make the country proud. I also would like to congratulate all the other award winners too," said 25-year-old Rani, who is currently at the SAI Centre in Bengaluru.
An elated Akashdeep Singh said, "It is one of the most pleasing moments for me in my career to have been conferred with the Arjuna Award. I would like to thank the jury, and all my coaches, teammates, friends and family who have been a part of my hockey journey so far.
"I believe patience and hard-work always earn you rewards, and I am very thankful to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports for recognising my hard-work and I would also like to thank Hockey India for always being a pillar of support in my career."
