By Chetan Sharma

New Delhi, Aug 19 (IANS): Indian wrestler Divya Kakran on Wednesday said she is extremely happy and feels honoured after the National Sports Awards committee recommended her name for the Arjuna Award.

"I can't express my feelings. Arjuna Award is every sportsperson's dream. Right now I am over the moon. My family and I faced a lot of struggle and this award is the result of all our hard work.

"I especially want to dedicate this award to my family, my mother. I come from a poor family. My father used to sell wrestling jockstrap for men which my mother sews at our rented house in Gokulpur village in East Delhi. Everything is coming back to my mind now," an emotional Divya told IANS.

"I remember when my mother once sold her wedding chain (mangalsutra) for my training. Life was very difficult until I got a job last year. But that is past now. With this award, I want to focus on my Olympic preparation and prove my worth to the world," she added.

Ever since breaking on the international stage with a bronze medal at the 2017 Asian Wrestling Championships, Divya has maintained her stranglehold on the women's 68kg category in the country.

She won all her four bouts in the round-robin format to win gold in the Asian Championships in February.

It was a special occasion both for the country and the wrestler. The gold was India's second in the history of the meet since the introduction of women's wrestling in 1996. It was also Divya's first top-class display after a lean patch of around six months.

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) is holding national camp from September 1 and Divya is willing to join it. "I have waited for it since so long. It will be great to get back to proper training," she added.