By: Talat Mohsin

Before this, no other female athlete had ever been considered for this prestigious award. But breaking norms, this year all the names sent by the sports ministry are of women athletes.

The list contains renowned names such as star boxer MC Mary Kom, shuttler P V Sindhu, wrestler Vinesh Phogat, table tennis star Manika Batra, T20 captain Harmanpreet Kaur, hockey captain Rani Rampal, former shooter Suma Shirur and mountaineer twin sisters, Tashi and Nungshi Malik.

The recommendations have been sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs. The ministry is most likely to announce the final recipients’ name on January 5th, 2020.

Six-time World Champion MC Mary Kom has been nominated for the Padma Vibhushan award. She was honored with the Padma Bhushan in 2013 and Padma Shri in 2006. Last year, the Manipuri boxer had claimed the world title for herself in the 48 kg category at a home match.

Shuttler P V Sindhu has received the ministry’s recommendation for the Padma Bhushan. She had previously been honored with the Padma Shri in 2015.

The badminton star made history last month when she became the first Indian to win a World Championship title, defeating her arch-nemesis Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara in a one-sided match.