Bhubaneswar: International hockey player from Odisha, Deep Grace Ekka, has been recommended for the Arjuna Award.

The National Sports Awards Selection Committee has recommended Deep Grace for the second-highest sporting honour of India, sources said.

Deep Grace has been playing as a defender in Indian Women’s Hockey Team for last several years.

Born in Odisha’s Sundargarh district, Deep Grace started playing hockey in 2011. Initially, she played for Indian Women’s Junior Team, sources said.

The ace defender has so far played 240 hockey matches. She was the member of Indian Women’s Hockey Team that won bronze medal in this year’s Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

She also represented the Indian Women’s Hockey Teams that won medals in 2014 and 2018 Asian Games.

Deep Grace was also a member of the title-winning Indian Women’s Hockey Teams in 2016 Women’s Asian Champions Trophy and 2017 Asia Cup Hockey.

Deep Grace is now representing the railways in the domestic hockey tournaments.