Arjuna-winner Gill hopes becoming "certified by govt" will get motorsport recognition

India's top rally driver Gaurav Gill does not expect his performance to improve drastically after being nominated for the Arjuna award but he is confident that becoming a "government-certified" athlete will give motorsport the recognition it craves in the country.

The 37-year-old was being overlooked for the Arjuna for the past three years. In 2018, there was consensus in the selection panel that the three-time Asia Pacific Rally Champion deserved the recognition but missed out in the year of Commonwealth and Asian Games.

"Of course I was a little heartbroken (at being ignored in the past) but it did not affect my performance. As a sportsman, it is my duty to perform irrespective of the conditions. It is not that that if you get the award, you perform better," Gill told PTI after being shortlisted for this year's Arjuna awards last week, a first for Indian motorsport.

"Of course, getting the Arjuna means you are among the best sportspersons in the country. That means you are basically a certified athlete by the government and that gives a massive boost to our sport," he added.

Due to the sport being niche, even Narain Karthikeyan, India's first Formula 1 driver, was not considered for Arjuna even though he was bestowed with the Padma Shri in 2010.

With Gill finally getting his due, he is equally ecstatic about creating a window for others.

"It should break the barriers for the entire fraternity and allow people to consider this as a career option and not just a hobby," said the Delhi-based driver.

Drawing a parallel with golf and shooting 10-15 years ago, Gill is confident that his Arjuna will help his sport reach the masses.

"The next step is to educate them about the sport and ensure we have more Arjuna awardees. Since we also use equipment, I would like see the taxes and import duties being done away with like it is in the case of shooters.

"We are not using them for sale, we are using it for sport and we should not pay taxes for that. So many shooters are coming up now, we should learn from that. Back in the day, golf and shooting were considered luxury sports but not anymore."
"I have given 18 years of my life to motorsport and thank the government for recognising my achievements."