Padma Awards 2025: PR Sreejesh Honored With Padma Bhushan, 4 Others Awarded Padma Shri In Sports
Padma Awards 2025 Winners: PR Sreejesh, former India men's hockey captain, is awarded the Padma Bhushan for 2025. Harvinder Singh, IM Vijayan, R Ashwin, and Satyapal Singh receive the Padma Shri.
Padma Awards 2025 Announcement: Former India men’s hockey captain PR Sreejesh has been chosen for one of India’s highest civilian honors, the Padma Bhushan for 2025. It is the highest of the three categories of the Padma Awards, which are announced annually on Republic Day.
Sreejesh is among the five to win the award in the Sports category in the 138-member list announced by the Indian government on Saturday (January 25).
related stories
The other four, Harvinder Singh, IM Vijayan, R Ashwin, and Satyapal Singh, have been picked for the Padma Shri. The Padma Awards are approved and conferred by the President of India in a ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan later.
Vijayan is a legendary Indian footballer while Harvinder is India’s first Paralympic gold medal-winning archer. Satyapal, meanwhile, is a Para Athletics Coach who mentored Paris 2024 Paralympics gold-winning and Khel Ratna-awardee high-jumper Praveen Kumar.
“It’s (award) because of the faith reposed in me by so many people. I have been associated with Praveen Kumar since 2018 and a lot of credit goes to my ward for this award," Satyapal was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Sreejesh, 36, retired after winning a second consecutive Olympic bronze with the Indian team in the Paris Olympics last year. He’s widely considered one of India’s greatest hockey players and goalkeepers, with a huge role in the country’s return to the global map for the national sport.
After featuring in a staggering 336 games across 18 years and also winning two Asian Games gold medals he is currently the head coach of the junior men’s team.
Harvinder, 33, clinched gold in the Paris Paralympics last year in the individual recurve open category. His legs were impaired due to side effects of wrong injections for treatment of dengue quite early in his life.
Vijayan, 55, was India men’s football captain from 2000 to 2004. He made his national debut in the early 90s and scored 40 goals in 79 matches for the country, winning the South Asian Football Federation Championships in 1993, 1997 and 1999.
And finally, Ashwin, 38, retired last year as India’s second-highest wicket-taker in men’s Test cricket. He is regarded as one of the greatest bowlers to play the sport.
- Location :
- First Published: