Anju Bobby George receives the Khel Ratna from President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday while Bula Chowdhury and Soma Biswas pose with their trophies. Pictures by Reuters, Rajesh Kumar

New Delhi: Stepping past the inevitable selection controversies, last year?s top sports performers received their awards at a glittering ceremony from President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam at Rashtrapati Bhawan?s Ashok Hall Tuesday.

Fourteen eminent sportspersons and the mother of cricketer Harbhajan Singh received the prestigious Arjuna Awards and the accompanying cash prize of Rs 3 lakh from the President.

Long jumper Anju Bobby George received the top award of the country, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, for her winning the bronze Medal in Paris last year?s World Athletics Championships (and a cash award of Rs 5 lakh). Her husband, Bobby George walked up for the Dronacharya Award, instituted for eminent coaches, received for helping his wife to the top of the athletic world.

Four distinguished coaches received that award that year.

The Dhyan Chand Award, a new initiative for Life Time Achievement in Sports and Games, started in 2002 and with a cash award also of Rs 3 lakh this year went to three veterans ? 76-year-old hockey coach Hardayal Singh (also a 1956 Olympic gold medallist), 1970 Asiad long jump silver medallist Labh Singh and Pune based M.D. Parsuram (physically handicapped athlete)

Anju, wearing a cream sari, blue blazer and a crimson scarf, won this coveted award for becoming the first Indian athlete to win a medal in a world athletic championships. Since this award was started in 1991-92, Anju becomes the sixth woman to receive it. Karnam Malleswari (1994-95), Kunjurani Devi (1995-96), Jyotirmoyee Sikdar (1998-99) and K. M. Beenamol and Anjali Bhagwat (jointly, 2002) were the previous recipients.

The 27-year-old Anju said: ?It is a dream come true and has helped to put behind the disappointment of the Athens Olympics. God willing, I will get a medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.?

?It is a unique feeling to be honoured by the President, quite different from what I felt standing on the podium in Paris. There I raised the pride of the country and today the country honoured me,? she said.

Her husband said: ?Our next events are a meet in Japan on September 23 and the Asian All-Stars meet in Singapore on September 28.? Gold medals in the 2006 Asian and Commonwelath Games are Anju?s next targets.Silver medallist in double trap at the Athens Olympics, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore received the loudest applause when he strode up to receive the Arjuna Award for his world championship bronze last year.

Rathore made some cryptic comments on sponsors for Olympic sports. He said: ?Now that I have got success, sponsors are coming. But when we are struggling, we get no little financial support. We can do better if we receive aid in our formative years.? He also felt that India should target the 2012 and 2016 Olympics to try and achieve a target of 12 to 15 medals. Rathore said his childhood idol was athlete Milkha Singh. He felt that with adequate financial help, a talented athlete like Milkha would have been a world beater.

Bengal?s duo in this ceremony were Soma Biswas (Arjuna) and Bula Chowdhury, who got the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award for Lifetime Achievement. Soma a gold medallist in 4x400 m and a silver medallist in heptathlon at the 2002 Busan Asian Games, later said: ?A gold medal in the 2006 Asian Games is my next big target.? She felt this award would be an incentive to continue working harder.?

Bula has even bigger ambitions. She wants to finish having conquered all the continents and the fifth, Africa, is her next target. She said: ?I am getting another award 14 years after the Arjuna because the confidence I have in my ability.?