Badminton star Saina Nehwal will be given the 22nd Yudhvir Memorial Foundation Award, said Yudhvir Foundation in an announcement on Wednesday.
Yudhvir Foundation was founded in 1991 to commemorate the late Yudhvir, an eminent freedom fighter, journalist and founder of Daily Hindi Milap. Every year, the Foundation honours individuals who excel in a field of human endeavor.
This year's award is being presented to Saina Nehwal on April 30th, the birthday of late Yudhvir.
"Saina is the first Indian to win a medal in badminton at the Olympics. As an under-19 national champion, Saina was the first player to win the prestigious Asian Satellite Badminton tournament (India Chapter) twice, thus setting the first of many records to come.
Famously known as "The Dragon Slayer" for defeating the best of Chinese badminton players, she is also the first Indian to win the World Junior Badminton Championships in 2008.
With two monumental wins at the Super-Series tournaments in 2009 and 2010 she rose to the No. 2 spot in the world rankings.
Saina Nehwal won the 2010 Commonwealth Games, and is supported by the Olympic Gold Quest.
She went on to win the bronze for India at the London Olympics 2012, and, in the same year, lifted her first Denmark Open trophy.
The award ceremony will be held on April 30 at 6:30pm at KLN Prasad Auditorium, FAPCCI Bhavan, in Hyderabad. Andhra Pradesh Lokayukta Justice B Subhashan Reddy will be the chief guest at the event, and will present the award.
Previous Yudhvir awardees include Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, classical musician Pandit Jasraj, space scientist Prof. U R Rao, founder of Amar Chitra Katha the late Anant Pai and eminent filmmaker Shyam Benegal. (INN)