A prestigious ceremony took place at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, where President Droupadi Murmu presented the Arjuna Award to 26 distinguished sportspersons on January 9, 2024. The awardees were primarily athletes who had participated in the Asian Games 2023, an event where India set a record by winning more than 100 medals.
Among the recipients was Mohammed Shami, the only cricketer on the list. Shami was recognised for his exceptional performance in the World Cup 2023, where he emerged as the leading wicket-taker, despite India’s loss to Australia in the final.
The list of awardees also included Sheetal Devi, the world’s first armless woman archer. Devi, who won three medals at the Para Games in Hangzhou, was honoured for her extraordinary achievements.
Shooters Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Esha Singh, who contributed significantly to India’s haul of 22 shooting medals, were also among the recipients of the Arjuna Award. Naorem Roshibina Devi, a silver medalist at Hangzhou, was another notable name on the list.
The 26-member list also featured Ayhika Mukherjee, a bronze medalist in women’s doubles table tennis, along with her partner, Sutirtha Mukherjee. R Vaishali, the sister of chess prodigy Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, was also honoured with the award.
| Athletes | Discipline |
| Ms Aditi Gopichand Swami | Archery |
| Shri Ojas Pravin Deotale | Archery |
| Shri Sreeshankar Murali | Athletics |
| Ms Parul Chaudhary | Athletics |
| Shri Mohameed Hussamuddin | Boxing |
| Ms R Vaishali | Chess |
| Shri Mohammed Shami | Cricket |
| Shri Anush Agarwalla | Equestrian |
| Ms Divyakriti Singh | Equestrian Dressage |
| Ms Diksha Dagar | Golf |
| Shri Krishan Bahadur Pathak | Hockey |
| Ms Pukhrambam Sushila Chanu | Hockey |
| Shri Pawan Kumar | Kabaddi |
| Ms Ritu Negi | Kabaddi |
| Ms Nasreen | Kho-Kho |
| Ms Pinki | Lawn Bowls |
| Shri Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar | Shooting |
| Ms Esha Singh | Shooting |
| Shri Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu | Squash |
| Ms Ayhika Mukherjee | Table Tennis |
| Shri Sunil Kumar | Wrestling |
| Ms Antim Panghal | Wrestling |
| Ms Naorem Roshibina Devi | Wushu |
| Ms Sheetal Devi | Para Archery |
| Shri Illuri Ajay Kumar Reddy | Blind Cricket |
| Para Canoeing | Ms Prachi Yadav |
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