Winning Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award feels surreal: Satwik

Indian men’s doubles badminton player Satwiksairaj Rankireddy believes that the award will bring more responsibility to the players

Hyderabad: When Indian men’s doubles badminton player Satwiksairaj Rankireddy was conferred with Arjuna Award last year, the shuttler was over the moon. Never in his wildest imaginations did he think about winning the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award – the highest honour in sports.

When the 23-year-old Amalapuram lad came to know about news of being selected for the prestigious award along with his doubles partner Chirag Shetty on Wednesday, the lanky shuttler revealed that he could not believe the news.

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“I never thought about it even in my dreams. When I first won the Arjuna award last year, I felt very happy, because there was no one, at least in my hometown, who had won such honours. I was very excited. I knew it would be more memorable to win Khel Ratna but to actually win it feels surreal. I didn’t expect to win such honours in such a short period,” said the shuttler.

When he won the Arjuna award, the ceremony was conducted online due to Covid and he was disappointed for not taking his parents to the ceremony. This time, however, the award ceremony will be held on January 9. But Satwik, in all likelihood, will miss the event owing to international tournaments.

“Yes, I was disappointed in not receiving Arjuna in person. Even now, I am not sure whether I would be able to attend since we are going to compete in the Malaysia Open badminton tournament which is beginning on January 9. But I would be very happy to see my parents receive the award. They are the reason for our success,” he added.

Satwik believes that the award will bring more responsibility to the players. “It is definitely a big motivation for us. It also gives a lot of responsibility. It makes us more professional and accountable. I feel we should do justice to the honours.”

Satwik and Chirag missed the World Tour Finals by a whisker but the youngster looks at the bright side of it. “Though we were disappointed to miss out on the tournament, I think it is a blessing in disguise. We played many tournaments without a break after the Asian Games. So this is a much-needed break ahead of the new season. This break helps me focus on the next six months,” he revealed.