Sindhu for Padma Bhushan, veteran Hockey coach M.P. Ganesh for Padma Shri

Six-time world boxing champion M.C. Mary Kom and World Badminton Champion P.V. Sindhu’s name have been recommended for this year’s Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan awards, respectively.

Mary, the only woman boxer to win the World championship for record sixth time, also becomes the first woman athlete to be recommended for country’s second highest civilian award after Bharat Ratna.

Earlier recipients of Padma Vibhushan were chess great Vishwanathan Anand in 2007, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar in 2008 and mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary in 2008. Mary Kom had earlier won Padma Bhushan in 2013 and Padma Shri in 2006.

Sindhu, who achieved another milestone after winning the World Badminton Championship, the only Indian to do so, has been recommended for Padma Bhushan. She was Padma Shri recipient in 2015.

Those recommended for Padma Shri are Wrestler Archer Tarundeep Rai, Hockey Olympian M.P. Ganesh, wrestler Vinesh Phogat, Table Tennis star Manika Batra, woman cricketer Harmanpreet Kaur, hockey captain Rani Rampal, former Shooter Suma Shirur and Mountaineer twin sisters, Tashi and Nungshi Malik.