Arjuna Awards 2024: 26 Athletes received the Honors

India’s prolific pacer, Mohammed Shami along with other 25 athletes received the prestigious Arjuna Awards 2024 on January 9 by the President of India, Droupadi Murmu. BCCI put forth Shami’s name for the honor after his standout performance in the ODI World Cup 2023. Shami ended the ODI World Cup 2023 as the best bowler in the tournament scalping 24 wickets from 7 matches.

“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,” Shami had said ahead of the award ceremony.

Notably, Mohammed Shami was not included in the Playing XI for the first four matches in the ODI World Cup 2023. He was inducted into the Playing XI after Hardik Pandya suffered an ankle injury during India’s fixture against Bangladesh on October 19. And then came Shami as Hardik’s replacement. He made a long-lasting impact in the tournament by scalping 5 wickets against New Zealand on his return. The pacer didn’t stop there as he went on to scalp 24 wickets in the tournament & ended as the highest wicket-taker in ODI World Cup 2023.

26 Athletes received Arjuna Awards 2024

A total of 26 Athletes received the prestigious Arjuna Award for their gleaming performances in 2023. The list was dominated by the athletes who participated in Asian Games 2023. In China, India outperformed themselves in the competition winning a record tally of 107 medals.

Athletes’ stunning performance in the Asian Games broke India’s previous record of medals which stood at 70 during the Jakarta 2018 Asian Games. The Hangzhou Games 2023 was a success for India as they shone both in quality & quantity. On the final day of the tournament, India reached new heights as it clinched a total of 12 medals. Among these 6 were gold medals, 4 silver medals & 2 bronze medals. This took India’s tally over 100 for the first time in Asian Games history.

All that you need to know About Arjuna Awards 2024

Arjuna Award is the second highest sporting honor in India after the Khel Ratna Award. The award is named after Mahabharata’s famous character Arjuna. The second highest athletic honor in India is awarded to individuals who have displayed excellent leadership, sportsmanship, and discipline, coupled with exceptional performance over the preceding four years.

President Murmu handed 26 athletes the prestigious Arjuna Awards. Among the receivers wereShuttlers Chirag Shetty & Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, along with cricketer Mohammed Shami,

Chirag & Satwik were also honored with the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award for their irreplaceable achievements in 2023. They helped India to win their maiden Asian Games gold medal in badminton, clinching the Asian Championships title, and winning the Indonesia Open Super 1000 title.

The ceremony which was usually held on August 29 to commemorate Major Dhyan Chand’s birth anniversary, was postponed due to the Hangzhou Asian Games from September 23 to October 8 last year. Notably, Chiraj & Satwik who are ranked as the World’s No. 1 are aiming to win the Olympic Medal in Paris having virtually sealed their qualification.

Full List of Arjuna Award Winners 2024

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