Bhaker, Moudgil and Rana headline NRAI's nomination for sports awards

Rifle shooter Anjum Moudgil has been recommended for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, the country's highest sporting honour while pistol shooters Manu Bhaker, Saurabh Chaudhary and Abhishek Varma and rifle shooter Elavenil Valarivan have all been recommended for the Arjuna Award.

National shooting coach Jaspal Rana has been recommended for the Dronacharya Award.

"Our shooters had an outstanding last season and it was a particularly difficult selection to make this time around," said NRAI President Raninder Singh in the national sports federation's statement on Thursday.

"I wish all those recommended all the very best and hope those who could not make it this year, force us to do so next time around with their performances. I believe all are equally talented and will certainly reap rich awards if they carry on the way they have."

NRAI Secretary Rajiv Bhatia said that the "nominations will be sent to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS), shortly."

Anjum had last year won the Arjuna Award. She was among the first two Indians to have secured quota places in the sport for the Tokyo Olympics, which have been postponed to nexy year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Rana was recommended for the Dronacharya Award and the eventual decision to not confer him the honour had become a controversial one with the likes of 2008 Olympics gold medallist Abhinav Bindra opposing it.