Renowned Indian bowler Mohammed Shami, archers Ojas Pravin Deotale, Sheetal Devi, and Aditi Gopichand Swami, and wrestler Antim Panghal were among the celebrities who were presented with the Arjuna Award by President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday at Rashtrapati Bhawan. The Arjuna Award, which is granted for good performance over the course of the previous four years and for demonstrating leadership, sportsmanship, and discipline, is India's second-highest athletic honor.
Several athletes, including star speedster Shami, who set multiple records and finished as the top wicket-taker in the ICC Cricket World Cup in India last year with 24 scalps, were recognized with Arjuna Awards for their achievements in 2023. A day before the ceremony, the seasoned pacer expressed gratitude for the much-coveted honor and remarked that not everyone could win it, even after years of hard effort. "This award is a dream; life passes and people are not able to win this award. I am happy that I have been nominated for this award. It is like a dream for me to get this award because my whole life I have seen many people receiving this award," he said in an interview.
The honor has also been given to shooter Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, para-archer Sheetal Devi Aditi Swami, steeplechaser Parul Chaudhary, and U20 World Champion wrestler Antim Panghal. At the Para Asian Games last year, Sheetal took home three medals: silver for the women's team, gold for the mixed team, and gold for the women's singles compound open event. With a phenomenal display, Sheetal topped Singapore's Alim Nur Syahidah in the women's singles competition. Whereas, Alim Nur's accuracy gave her a point advantage in the first three sets of a closely contested match. After the first three sets ended, she had a three-point advantage going into the final two sets. Alim Nur missed a few opportunities, but Sheetal scored two consecutive flawless scores to seal the victory. She ultimately won with a total score of 144-142. Nine medals, including five gold ones, were won by Indian archers. Ojas Pravin, ranked ninth in the world, took home two gold medals, while Jyothi Surekha took home three medals in total.
