Indian squash player Joshna Chinappa was bestowed with the highly prestigious Padma Shri award at a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday. Significantly, Chinappa, who was part of the bronze medal-winning women’s team at the Asian Games last year was among the list of seven sports personalities named by the government earlier to be conferred with the fourth-highest civilian award- Padma Shri, for their distinguished services in the field of sports.
The list of other notable sports personalities to be conferred with the Padma Awards 2024 include- Rohan Bopanna, Uday Vishwanath Deshpande, Harbinder Singh, Satendra Singh Lohia, Purnima Mahato and Gaurav Khanna.
Padma Shri 2024 award winners in sports: A brief bio
1. Rohan Bopanna: A two-time Grand Slam champion and winner of 26 ATP doubles titles.
2. Joshna Chinappa: A two-time Asian individual squash champion and clinching the gold medal at the 2022 World Doubles Championships alongside Deepika Pallikal.
3. Uday Vishwanath Deshpande: A veteran mallakhamba coach recognized for Maharashtra's record-breaking performance at the National Games 2023.
4. Gaurav Khanna: A Dronacharya Awardee and Head National Coach of Para Badminton, known for his exceptional contribution to the para-badminton community.
5. Satendra Singh Lohia: An experienced para swimmer known for his remarkable feat of crossing the English Channel as part of a swimming relay team.
6. Purnima Mahato: A former archer and silver medalist at the 1998 Commonwealth Games, now making significant contributions as a top coach.
7. Harbinder Singh: A member of India’s gold medal-winning hockey team at the Tokyo 1964 Olympics, recognized for his invaluable contribution to Indian hockey.
