KOA to honour State's best

Asian Games gold medal winners Nikkin Thimmaiah and Sushmitha Pawar will be among the recipients of the 2014 Karnataka Olympic Association (KOA) awards, KOA president K Govindraj said here on Tuesday.

Hockey ace Thimmaiah and kabaddi star Sushmitha are in the list of 12 current athletes who will be honoured along with nine veterans and two media personalities.

The KOA president said 23 awardees will receive a citation and a memento, apart from cash award at a ceremony at the Raj Bhavan on Wednesday. The athletes and the media personalities will receive a cash prize of Rs 50,000, while the veterans will receive Rs 10, 000.

Former international marathon runner D Y Biradar and boxing coach and Dronacharya awardee G Manoharan, former Indian hockey captain Jude Felix and former international Aslam Khan are among the veterans who will be honoured by the KOA.

Govindraj said KOA will also honour the medal winners from the State at the 2014 Asian Games. The gold and silver medal winner at the Asiad will receive Rs 50,000, while the bronze medal winners will receive Rs 40,000.

Awardees: Athletes: Bharath Kumar BM (Archery), Ashwini Akkunji (Athletics), Arvind A (Basketball), Mallappa F Murtannavar (Cycling), Mestone Tharakan (Fencing), Nikkin Thimmaiah (Hockey), Kantharaj S (Judo), Sushmitha Pawar (Kabaddi), Deepa MP (Shooting), Pratima Kollali (Swimming), Renuka H Pujari (Wushu), Karthik A (Volleyball).
Media: Lingaraju (Reporter), Syed Asif (Photo journalist).

Veterans: N Lingappa (Athletics), Biradar DY (Athletics). Martin Rajendran A (Athletics), J Murali Mohan (Basketball), G Manoharan (Boxing), Aslam Ahmed Khan (Football), Jude Felix (Hockey), Prakash S (Kho-Kho), Vasanth Madav (Tennis).