Full list of athletes nominated for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna Awards

Two-time Paralympic Javelin Throw champion Devendra Jhajharia has created history by becoming the first para athlete to be nominated for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.

Former India hockey captain Sardar Singh has also been recommended for the prestigious award, which is India's highest sporting honour.

Also, Indian cricketers Cheteshwar Pujara and Harmanpreet Kaur are among the 17 athletes whose names have been recommended for Arjuna Award this year, according to initial reports on Thursday, July 3.

Rio Paralympic 2016 Games High Jump Gold medallist Mariappan Thangavelu and bronze medallist Varun Bhati along with golfer SSP Chowrasia are also in the list, according to initial reports.

Jhajharia deservedly gets top honour

Jhajharia won a Gold at Athens Paralympic Games in 2004 with a world record throw of 62.15m. The 36-year-old became the first India to win to Paralympic Golds when he broke his own record with a 63.97m throw to win Gold at Rio Paralympic Games last year.

On the other hand, Sardar, who is considered as one of the modern day hockey legends, was also awarded with the Padma Shri, INdia's fourth highest civilian award in 2015.

Mithal Raj exclusion

Meanwhile, Mithali Raj's absene from Board of Control for Cricket in India's recomendations for the prestigious awards came as a surprise.

The India women's cricket team captain played a crucial role to help India finish as runners-up at the ICC Women's World Cup 2017. She also became the highest run scorer in Women's ODIs when she became the first woman to score more than 6000 runs in the 50-over format.

The final call on the recipients will be taken by the country's Sports Ministry.

Here is the full list of nominees

Khel Ratna

Arjuna Award