Padma Awards: Sunil Chhetri, Gautam Gambhir conferred by President Ram Nath Kovind

President Kovind presented the Padma Shri Award to Shri Gautam Gambhir for Sports. A former cricketer and leading batsmen of the Indian team, Gambhir played a critical role in India winning the T20 Cricket World Cup 2007 and World Cup 2011.

Between 2007 and 2011, Gambhir had stamped his name in bold letters in the history of Indian cricket as one of the best left-handed batsmen to have played for India across all formats.

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President Kovind presented the Padma Shri Award to Shri Sunil Chhetri for Sports. The Indian football skipper led the Blue Tigers successfully in 2018 to clinch the Inter-Continental Cup and then into the AFC Asian Cup 2019.

Chhetri had even surpassed Argentinian star Lionel Messi to become one of the highest active international goal-scorers. He scored a whopping 67 goals. The captain has also won three Nehru Cups (2007, 2009, 2012), an AFC Challenge Cup (2012), and two SAFF Championships (2011, 2016) in his spectacular career.

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President Kovind presented the Padma Bhushan Award to Ms Bachendri Pal for Sports. She is the first Indian woman to climb Mount Everest and is widely recognised for her pioneering role in mountaineering and adventure sports, especially for women.

She was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian award, in 1984. 

(Image: PTI)

President Kovind presented the Padma Shri Award to Smt Laishram Bombayla Devi for Sports. She is the only woman archer who represented India in three consecutive Olympic Games - Beijing Olympics 2008, London Olympics 2012 and Rio Olympics 2016.

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President Kovind presented the Padma Shri Award to Ms Prashanti Singh for Sports. Singh is the captain of Indian women's basketball team. She has represented the country for over a decade.

She was also honoured with the Arjuna Award in 2017 by the Department of Sports in India.

(Image: Twitter)