Padma Shri Awards 2021: Seven Indian sportsmen awarded India’s fourth-highest civilian honour

Padma Shri Awards 2021: Seven Indian sportsmen awarded India’s fourth-highest civilian honour

Padma Shri award

Padma Shri award
Padma Shri award

On the eve of India’s 72nd Republic Day, seven Indian sportspersons were awarded the prestigious Padma Shri by the Government of India.

Veteran table tennis player Mouma Das, the legendary PT Usha‘s coach Madhavan ‘OM’ Nambiar, former India women’s basketball team captain P Anitha, 3000m steeplechase Olympian Sudha Singh, former Indian wrestler Virender Singh, para athlete KY Venkatesh and mountaineer Anshu Jamsenpa were the laureates of the country’s fourth-highest civilian award in 2021 in the sports category.

The Padma Shri awardees

2013 Arjuna Award winner, Mouma Das became only the second table tennis player to win the Padma Shri after Achanta Sharath Kamal. “I became mother in December 2019 and didn’t get to play after that because of the COVID pandemic. This honour will give me extra motivation to comeback stronger and win more laureuls for the country,” the multiple Commonwealth and South Asian Games medal winner told PTI.

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2012 Arjuna Award winner, Sudha Singh is the second-most renowned athlete to bag the honour. The national record holder has represented India since 2005. The Asian champion has represented the country in consecutive Olympic Games, 2012 and 2016.

1985 Dronacharya awardee, Madhavan Nambiar is renowned for being ‘Golden Girl’ PT Usha’s coach. 1992 World Wrestling Championship bronze medalist Virender Singh has received the honour. He also won a silver medal in Commonwealth Championship in 1995 (Senior, 74kg, freestyle).

P Anitha became the youngest ever to captain the national senior womens basketball team. She participated in several big events such as Commonwealth Games and Asian Games. Para athlete KY Venkatesh has his name in the Limca Book of Records for winning the highest number of medals in the World Dwarf Games, 2005. He also represented India at the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Athletics World Championships in Berlin, Germany in 1994.

Indian mountaineer Anshu Jamsenpa became the first woman in the world to scale the Mount Everest twice in a season. She is the fastest double summitter to do so within five days.

This year no sportsman has been awarded the Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan.

Also Read: Former Captain of Blind Indian Cricket Team Shekhar Naik says, “I need a job more than Padma Shri amid COVID-19 Pandemic”