The winners of the Arjuna Awards 2023 have been introduced, recognizing the excellent achievements of 26 athletes throughout a various vary of sports activities in India. This prestigious honor, named after the legendary archer Arjuna from the Mahabharata epic, is bestowed yearly by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports activities.
These athletes have been bestowed upon with the award on Tuesday, January 9, 2024, by Droupadi Murmu, the President of India.
This 12 months’s winners have been chosen by a committee of eminent sportspersons. The committee thought of the athletes’ performances in nationwide and worldwide competitions, in addition to their contributions to the event of their sports activities.
The Arjuna Award is the second-most prestigious sporting award in India. Successful the award is a good honor, and it’s positive to encourage the recipients to proceed to excel of their chosen sports activities.
This 12 months’s laureates hail from varied disciplines, together with archery, athletics, badminton, basketball, boxing, cricket, soccer, hockey, kabaddi, rowing, capturing, swimming, desk tennis, tennis, volleyball, weightlifting, wrestling, and yachting. Their dedication and expertise have introduced immense delight to the nation, inspiring numerous aspiring athletes.
2023 has been a very exceptional 12 months for Indian sports activities, etched in historical past with the outstanding efficiency on the Asian Video games and the Arjuna Awards recognizing the distinctive expertise of 26 athletes throughout varied disciplines.
A Historic Haul on the Asian Video games:
The 12 months 2023 witnessed Indian athletes rewrite the file books on the Asian Video games, amassing a staggering complete of over 100 medals – a primary for the nation within the occasion’s historical past. This unprecedented feat surpassed the earlier better of 70 medals achieved in 2018, showcasing the immense potential and dedication of Indian athletes throughout varied sports activities.
Arjuna Awards 2023: Full Listing of Winners
Additional including to the glory of 2023, the Arjuna Awards, considered one of India’s most prestigious sporting honors, noticed 26 athletes being acknowledged for his or her excellent contributions. This 12 months’s checklist included exceptional people like:
Mohammed Shami: The only real cricketer to be bestowed with the award, Shami’s distinctive quick bowling abilities have been instrumental in India’s cricketing success.
Sheetal Devi: An inspiration to many, Devi, the world’s first armless lady archer, has defied limitations and carved her personal path to sporting excellence, successful medals on the Para Video games.
Aditi Gopichand Swami and Ojas Pravin Deotale: This archery duo has persistently introduced laurels to the nation, with their sharp focus and unwavering dedication.
Sreeshankar Murali and Parul Chaudhary: These athletics stars have soared excessive on the tracks, setting new private bests and breaking nationwide data.
Mohameed Hussamuddin: Within the boxing ring, Hussamuddin’s highly effective punches and strategic prowess have earned him a well-deserved spot among the many Arjuna awardees.
R Vaishali: A chess prodigy, Vaishali’s strategic brilliance and calculated strikes have made her a power to be reckoned with on the 64 squares.
Pawan Sehrawat and Ritu Negi: Pawan and Ritu have been the captains of the Indian Males’s and Girls’s Kabaddi groups respectively that gained the gold medal within the kabaddi occasion on the Asian Video games in Hangzhou, China.
These are just some of the distinctive athletes who’ve been acknowledged for his or her dedication and achievements. The entire checklist of Arjuna Award winners for 2023 contains:
Archery: Ms Aditi Gopichand Swami, Shri Ojas Pravin Deotale
Athletics: Shri Sreeshankar Murali, Ms Parul Chaudhary
Boxing: Shri Mohameed Hussamuddin
Cricket: Shri Mohammed Shami
Equestrian: Shri Anush Agarwalla, Ms Divyakriti Singh (Equestrian Dressage)
Hockey: Shri Krishan Bahadur Pathak, Ms Pukhrambam Sushila Chanu
Kabaddi: Shri Pawan Kumar, Ms Ritu Negi
Taking pictures: Shri Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Ms Esha Singh
Squash: Shri Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu
Desk Tennis: Ms Ayhika Mukherjee
Wrestling: Shri Sunil Kumar, Ms Antim Panghal
Wushu: Ms Naorem Roshibina Devi
Para Archery: Ms Sheetal Devi
Blind Cricket: Shri Illuri Ajay Kumar Reddy
Para Canoeing: Ms Prachi Yadav
These athletes, together with many others, haven’t solely introduced glory to the nation however have additionally impressed numerous people to pursue their desires within the sporting enviornment. Their dedication, perseverance, and expertise have made 2023 a 12 months to recollect for Indian sports activities, and one which guarantees even higher achievements within the years to return.
The Arjuna Awards 2023 ceremony was a momentous event, celebrating the extraordinary accomplishments of those athletes who’ve pushed the boundaries of their respective sports activities. Their dedication, perseverance, and fervour function a beacon of hope for future generations, reminding us that with unwavering dedication, something is achievable.
This recognition not solely bestows immense honor upon the recipients but additionally serves as an important supply of encouragement, motivating them to proceed excelling of their chosen fields. The Arjuna Awards undoubtedly play a vital function in fostering a vibrant sporting tradition in India, and the 2023 laureates have undoubtedly added a exceptional chapter to the nation’s sporting legacy.
Rishab is an aspiring sports activities journalist, at the moment pursuing his grasp’s in multimedia journalism at Christ College, Bangalore. Having beforehand labored with varied organizations resembling TheNewsMinute, TimesNetwork, DeccanHerald, and Sportskeeda, he’s an avid sports activities fanatic.
