Padma Awards winners: Olympic gold medallist, Grand Slam-winner, Mallakhamb flagbearer honoured

A threetime Olympic medallist two iconic players of the current generation and the flagbearer of Mallakhamb were among those who have been bestowed the Padma Shri 2024 awards for their distinguished service in sportsHeres a look at the seven winners who received Padma Shri 2024 awards the fourth highest civilian awardHarbinder Singh Hockey An awardwinning player a coach an administrator and even a government observer there is hardly a role associated with his beloved sport that the 80yearold Harbinder Singh hasnt donnedBorn in Quetta Pakistan Harbinder was a member of the 1964 Olympic goldwinning Indian hockey team He also won the bronze medals in the next two Olympic editions in 1968 and 1972The centre forward won the gold medal in the 1966 Asian Games and the silver in the 1970 edition where he served as the captain of the Indian teamWhat could be better than receiving an award This awards means a lot to me because its is a huge reward for all my sports achievementsI have been with hockey for over 6 decades first as a player as selector coach administrator government observer I started playing in 1961 I have been serving hockey since as best as I can Hockey is my identity Harbinder told PTIJoshna Chinappa Squash Joshna is arguably the finest female squash player to have come out of India Having turned pro back in 2003 her longevity in a physically demanding sport like squash is remarkable and she has no immediate plans to call it a dayThe 37yearold has won multiple medals at the Commonwealth and Asian Games The highlights of her illustrious career include reaching the top10 in the world rankings an unprecedented womens doubles gold at 2014 CWG alongside Dipika Pallikal and more recently the duo won the gold at the World Doubles Championship in 2022Also ReadIfs buts and maybesHer first singles medal at the Asian Games came in 2018 and she also helped India to couple of silver medals in the 2018 and 2014 editionRohan Bopanna Tennis Bopanna receives the honour on the back of a terrific season Additionally the 43yearold is on the cusp of possibiliy winning his second Grand Slam title after reaching the final of Australian OpenHe is also set to become the oldest tennis player to achieve the world No 1 ranking in mens doubles on MondayBopanna is only the fourth Indian to win a Grand Slam trophy a mixed doubles title he won with Canadian partner Gabriela Dabrowski at the French Open in 2017Uday Vishwanath Deshpande Mallakhamb coach Deshpande is credited for introducing Mallakhamb the traditional Indian physical practice in which a group of gymnasts perform aerial yoga and gymnastic postures using wrestling grips in concert with a stationary vertical pole to millions around the worldHailing from Maharashtra the flagbearer of the sport took Mallakhamb to a wide section of people that includes women orphans differentlyables visually challengedSatendra Singh Lohiya Paraswimmer Hailing from a small village in Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh Lohiya was born without any disability But close to a fortnight later both his legs became 70 per cent disabledDespite his inability to use his lower limbs Lohiya scripted history as he was part of an Indian relay team that crossed the English Channel in 2018 He completed the English Channel in 12 hours and 26 minutes setting a new recordI cant convey my emotions into words If someone from a small village like me can work hard and the government recognises him then everyone should believe that they can achieve what they want to he saidPurnima Mahato Archery coach Hailing from Jamshedpur Purnima took up archery coaching in 1994 She served as the Indian womens recurve coach in three successive Olympics 2008 2012 and 2016She also coached the Indian womens recurve team that won bronze medals in 2010 and 2023 Asian GamesGaurav Khanna Parabadminton coach A former national badminton player Khanna is widely credited for producing the countrys best para shuttlers including Pramod Bhagat Parul Parmer Palak Kohli and Manoj KumarA knee injury ended his professional career Four years later he ventured out into coachingWith agency inputs