Rohan Bopanna, Men's Doubles World No 1, Among Athletes Honoured With Padma Shri Award

India's tennis sensation and current men's doubles World No. 1, Rohan Bopanna, along with squash player Joshna Chinappa and former field hockey player Harbinder Singh, have been honored with the prestigious Padma Shri award, as announced by the Centre on Thursday.

At the age of 43, Bopanna achieved the remarkable feat of becoming the oldest World No. 1 in men's doubles, surpassing USA's Rajeev Ram, who held the position at the age of 38 in October 2022. Recently, Bopanna secured a spot in the second consecutive final of the Australian Open in men's doubles. His Grand Slam journey includes winning the French Open title in 2017 alongside Canada's Gabriela Dabrowski, making him one of only four Indians to achieve such a milestone. Additionally, he clinched a gold medal with Divij Sharan in men's doubles at the 2018 Asian Games.

Joshna Chinappa, a prominent figure in squash, earned a bronze medal alongside Tanvi Khanna and Anahat Singh at the Hangzhou Asian Games. With this achievement, she added her fifth medal to her Asian Games tally, with her initial bronze coming in women's singles at the 2018 Jakarta Games. Notably, she secured one bronze and two silver medals in team events.

Harbinder Singh, a distinguished former field hockey player, contributed significantly to India's success in the sport. As a member of the gold medal-winning team in 1966 and a silver medal winner as captain in 1970, Singh has left an indelible mark in the history of Indian hockey. He also played a crucial role in India's victories in international hockey tournaments in Lyon, France, in 1963 and Hamburg, West Germany, in 1966. In addition to his on-field accomplishments, Singh served as the chief coach of the bronze medal-winning women's hockey team in the 1986 Asian Games. Furthermore, he was part of India's gold medal-winning team in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

The Padma Shri Award in sports was also conferred upon other notable individuals, including International Mallakhamb coach Uday Vishwanath Deshpande, para-badminton team's head coach Gaurav Khanna, para swimmer Satendra Singh Lohia, and archer and archery coach Purnima Mahato.