Rohan Bopanna and Joshna Chinappa Shortlisted for Padma Shri Award

Indian tennis legend Rohan Bopanna and squash player Joshna Chinappa were conferred with the Padma Shri Award, the fourth highest civilian honour in India, along with Mallakhamb coach Uday Vishwanath Deshpande, Indian Para-badminton team head coach Gaurav Khanna, archer Purima Mahtao, para-swimmer Satendra Singh Lohia and former hockey player Harbinder Singh.

Padma Awards – Full List

Bopanna recently created history as he became the oldest player in history to claim the top spot in Men’s doubles rankings.

Bopanna has been a consistent performer and will be oldest world number one when new rankings will be issued on Monday.

Bopanna has the opportunity to win his first ever men’s doubles major title on Saturday when he takes court with partner Matthew Ebden to compete in the Australian Open final.

Bopanna, 43, 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 2017.

The 37-year-old Joshna has won multiple medals at Asian Games and two-time CWG medallist. She has also won four medals at World Championships in the doubles, including a gold in 2022.

Other athletes, who have been selected for the honour are hockey player Harbinder Singh and Uday Deshpande, who is a practitioner of Mallakhmab, an indigenous sport.

Archer Purima Mahtao, the 1998 CWG silver medallist and also coach of Indian team at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, para badminton coach Gaurav Khanna, para swimmer Satendra Singh Lohia are the athletes who will be receive the honour for their achievements and contribution to Indian sports.

Padma Shri Award – Sports

Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in India after Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan. The Awards are given in various disciplines/fields of activities like art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc.

The Awards are conferred by the President of India at ceremonial functions which are held at Rashtrapati Bhawan usually around March – April every year.

(With inputs from Agencies)