New Delhi [India], April 26 : World champion and powerlifter Gaurav Sharma was conferred with an honorary doctorate degree by the American University for his work in the field of sports.
Powerlifter Gaurav Sharma was given the certificate of Doctor of Philosophy during a special event in New Delhi. He was quite elated to receive the certificate and said that this honour will boost his morale to work more in the field of sports.
"This honor is very special to me and I want to thank everyone who helped me in my journey so far. This recognition will boost my morale to work more in the field of sports and help my country in becoming a global sports' powerhouse," Gaurav Sharma said in a statement.
The Delhi athlete had clinched two gold medals at the 2016 World Powerlifting Championships in England. In 2007, he won four gold medals at the Commonwealth Championships in New Zealand.
Initially starting out as a weightlifter, Gaurav later switched to powerlifting. He is also a Mahant in a temple in Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi.
In a recent interaction with the media, Gaurav Sharma expressed optimism about India's prospects at the upcoming Paris Olympics, attributing it to the support and international exposure provided to athletes by the Central government in recent years.
Over the past few editions, the participation of Indian athletes at the Olympics has steadily increased.
At Tokyo 2020, the Indian contingent was made up of 124 athletes, the largest that the country had sent to the Games. India also bagged seven medals, their biggest haul in a single Olympics - including Neeraj Chopra's historic gold medal in the men's javelin throw.
This year, the country will expect more athletes to qualify and increase the Tokyo Olympics medal haul.
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