India’s best-performing athletes have been on January 9 conferred with the nationwide sports activities awards by President Droupadi Murmu in a regal ceremony the place cricketer Mohammed Shami and para archer Sheetal Devi walked in to a rapturous applause on the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
Shuttlers Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy have been chosen for the coveted Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award for a breakout 2023, throughout which they received their maiden Asian Games gold — a primary for India in badminton — whereas additionally clinching the Asian Championships title and the Indonesia Open Super 1000 title.
The duo is at the moment enjoying in Malaysia Open Super 1000 and due to this fact skipped the perform.
The awards ceremony, often held on August 29 to commemorate the beginning anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand, was deferred due to the Hangzhou Asian Games from September 23 until October 8 final 12 months.
An ambiance of gaiety pervaded the Rashtrapati Bhawan as 26 athletes and para-athletes have been finalised for the Arjuna Awards this 12 months, with teenager pistol ace Esha Singh the one one to overlook the ceremony.
The 19-year-old Esha is competing within the Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Jakarta and, on Monday, had certified for the Paris Olympics after successful the person and workforce gold in 10m air pistol.
The imprint of the Asian Games final 12 months, and India’s document haul of 107 medals there, was evident within the ceremony as a majority of the athletes, who walked to the dais, have been medal winners in Hangzhou.
President Droupadi Murmu presents Arjuna Award to para-archer Sheetal Devi through the National Sports and Adventure Awards 2023 on the Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi.
| Photo Credit:
PTI
The Durbar Hall reverberated with the claps of the dignitaries when para archer Sheetal Devi, winner of three gold medals on the Para Asian Games in Hangzhou, walked as much as gather her Arjuna.
The 16-year-old is the one worldwide para-archery champion with out higher limbs because of a uncommon medical situation referred to as Phocomelia. The President held Sheetal’s award and the scroll as {the teenager} soaked within the ambiance and the splendour of the corridor.
Ms. Murmu then walked down the rostrum to current the Arjuna to wheelchair-bound para-canoeist Prachi Yadav, winner of gold in Hangzhou, as soon as once more drawing an enormous spherical of applause.
Shami, who’s at the moment recovering from an ankle harm, was there to obtain the honours and the gang duly acknowledged his achievements by giving him and his artwork the delight of place with an ovation.
President Droupadi Murmu confers Arjuna Award to tempo bowler Mohammed Shami
The tempo bowler took 24 wickets in seven World Cup video games final 12 months.
“My aim is to keep myself fit as far as possible, as the next two tournaments and series are big. I will focus on fitness,” he informed PTI at a sports activities ministry reception final evening.
Also receiving an enormous spherical of applause was the newly-crowned chess Grandmaster R. Vaishali, the elder sister of precocious chess expertise R. Praggnanandhaa.
Vaishali was honoured for turning into the third girl from the nation after Koneru Humpy and Dronavalli Harika to show GM.
Other sporting bigwigs who have been chosen for the Arjuna award this 12 months have been wrestler Antim Panghal, a former junior world champion and bronze-winner on the senior occasion final 12 months, boxer Mohammad Hussamuddin (bronze-winner eventually 12 months’s world championship), and athlete Parul Chaudhary.
Among the notable Dronacharya awardees this 12 months is chess coach R.B. Ramesh, who has groomed Praggnanandhaa.
While the Khel Ratna comes with a money prize of ₹25 lakh, the Arjuna and Dronacharya awards embrace a money prize of ₹15 lakh.
The recipients (2023 awards):
Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award for 2023: Chirag Shetty and Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy (badminton).
Arjuna Awards: Ojas Pravin Deotale (archery), Aditi Gopichand Swami (archery), Murali Sreeshankar (athletics), Parul Chaudhary (athletics), Mohammad Hussamuddin (boxing), R. Vaishali (chess), Mohammed Shami (cricket), Anush Agarwalla (equestrian), Divyakriti Singh (equestrian dressage), Diksha Dagar (golf), Krishan Bahadur Pathak (hockey), Sushila Chanu (hockey), Pawan Kumar (kabaddi), Ritu Negi (kabaddi), Nasreen (kho-kho), Pinki (garden bowls), Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar (capturing), Esha Singh (capturing), Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu (squash), Ayhika Mukherjee (desk tennis), Sunil Kumar (wrestling), Antim Panghal (wrestling), Naorem Roshibina Devi (wushu), Sheetal Devi (para archery), Illuri Ajay Kumar Reddy (blind cricket), Prachi Yadav (para canoeing).
Dronacharya Award (common class) for excellent coaches: Lalit Kumar (wrestling), R.B. Ramesh (chess), Mahaveer Prasad Saini (para athletics), Shivendra Singh (hockey), Ganesh Prabhakar Devrukhkar (mallakhamb).
Dronacharya Award (life-time class) for excellent coaches: Jaskirat Singh Grewal (golf), Bhaskaran E (kabaddi), Jayanta Kumar Pushilal (desk tennis).
Dhyan Chand Award for lifetime achievement: Manjusha Kanwar (badminton), Vineet Kumar Sharma (hockey), Kavitha Selvaraj (kabaddi).
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy 2023: Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar (general winner college); Lovely Professional University, Punjab (1st runner -up), Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra (2nd runner-up).
