NEW DELHI: The Heroes from Rio 2016 are getting the well deserved accolades and awards from all around the country.

And now it is the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award was on Monday conferred on four Indian Olympians by President Pranab Mukherjee in the nation’s capital.

Shuttler PV Sindhu, wrestler Sakshi Malik, gymnast Dipa Karmakar and shooter Jitu Rai were awarded the highest sporting honour of the country for their contribution in their respective fields during a beaming ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

This was the first time in the history of National Sports Awards that four athletes were chosen for the Khel Ratna honour, owing to the three girls’ exquisite show in Rio. In 2009, boxers Vijender Singh and MC Mary Kom and wrestler Sushil Kumar were given the award together.

Sindhu scripted history by winning the silver in women’s singles badminton in the recently-concluded Rio Olympics, while Sakshi took bronze in the women’s 58kg freestyle category at the Games. Dipa on the other hand, came perilously close to a podium finish, finishing fourth in the vault event in Gymnastics at the Rio Olympics 2016.

Rai raised Indian hopes of a medal on day 1 of the Games but was way off mark the next day in the men’s 10m Air Pistol final, finishing a lowly eighth to bow out of the competition. The disappointment of Rio Games however, doesn’t mask the fact that the shooter has won half a dozen medals in the past two years, including a gold medal finish in the 50m pistol event during the 2014 Commonwealth Games and Asian Games the same year, to go with a bronze in the 10m event. All four received a medal, certificate and cash prize of Rs. 7.5 lakh each.

The Dronacharya Award was handed to six coaches which include Dipa’s mentor Bisweshwar Nandi, along with the Indian cricket Test skipper Virat Kohli’s coach Raj Kumar Sharma, athletics coach Nagapuri Ramesh, boxing coach Sagar Mal Dhayal, Pradeep Kumar (Swimming, lifetime) and Mahabir Singh (wrestling, lifetime). They all took away certificates and award money of Rs.5 lakh each.

The Ministry also granted the Arjuna Award to 15 athletes. The notable names include that of boxer Shiva Thapa, long-distance runner Lalita Babar and shooter Apurvi Chandela – all of whom endured disappointments in Rio – along with hockey players VR Raghunath and Rani Rampal. Wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who was stretchered out after dislocating her right knee half-way into the first period of her 48kg quarterfinal fight against China’s Sun. Ajinkya Rahane missed out of the ceremony as he is in the USA following the conlusion of a T20 assignment against West Indies. Goalkeeper Subrata Paul was the lone footballer in the list of Arjuna awardees.

On India’s National Sports Day, the Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed upon former sprinter Satti Geetha, along with Sylvanus Dung Dung (hockey) and Rajendra Pralhad Shelke (rowing).