President Droupadi Murmu Awards Arjuna Honors to Indian Athletes

Celebrating Indian Athletic Excellence

On November 13, President Droupadi Murmu recognized outstanding Indian athletes with the prestigious Arjuna Awards at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi. Among the honorees were athletics stars Tejaswin Shankar, Priyanka Goswami, and shooter Akhil Sheoran, who were celebrated for their remarkable achievements in sports.

The National Sports Awards aim to acknowledge and reward excellence in athletics annually. The selection of awardees is based on recommendations from a committee led by Justice (Retd.) Arun Kumar Mishra, a former Supreme Court judge.

Tejaswin Shankar, a prominent figure in decathlon and high jump, received accolades for winning bronze medals at both the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow and the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya this year. President Murmu's official social media account highlighted his achievements, stating, "President Smt. Droupadi Murmu presented the Arjuna Award, 2025 to Shri Tejaswin Shankar for his outstanding achievements in athletics, including medals at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games and the Hangzhou Asian Games."

Priyanka Goswami, who earned a silver medal in race walking at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, was also honored. The official post read, "President Smt. Droupadi Murmu presented the Arjuna Award, 2025 to Ms. Priyanka Goswami for her outstanding achievements in athletics, including medals at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games and the Bangkok Asian Athletics Championships."

Muhammad Ajmal Variyathodi, a 400m specialist and a medalist at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, was recognized for his contributions to Indian athletics. Additionally, boxer Narender, who has excelled at the Hangzhou Asian Games and the Amman ASBC Asian Boxing Championships, received the Arjuna Award as well.

Akhil, a gold medalist at the Asian Games and World Championships, was also among the awardees, along with sailor Arvind Singh, who has made a mark at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games and the Asian Rowing Championships.

The Arjuna Award is conferred for exceptional performance in sports over the past four years. Coaches are also recognized with the Dronacharya Award for their significant contributions. Recipients in the regular category include Parveer Singh (athletics), Chhote Lal Yadav (boxing), and Neha Nandkumar Chavan (shooting), while lifetime honors will go to Dharmendra Singh Yadav (boxing) and Virender Kumar (wrestling). The 'Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar' will be awarded to the Army Paralympic Node in Pune.