Neeraj Chopra on Tuesday said he will continue to try to perform his best for India after the government announced that the javelin thrower will be conferred with Padma Shri this year.
He will also be awarded Param Vashistha Seva Medal. The awards were announced on the eve of 73rd Republic Day. “I am very happy. Got to know about PVSM and Padma Shri, thankful for all your wishes and support. I am here for my morning training. Will continue to do hard work in the future. I will try to perform best for my country,” Neeraj Chopra said in a video posted on Twitter.
“Congratulations also to all those who have won awards,” he added. Neeraj is currently amid his off-season training at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Centre in California, USA. He is currently preparing for the 2022 World Athletics Championships, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games in the prestigious training centre. The Tokyo Paralympics champions shuttler Pramod Bhagat and javelin thrower Sumit Antil will also be awarded Padma Shri.
“Proud feeling and great experience to be honoured with Padma Shri award. This will help me get more laurels for our country. Thank you,” Pramod Bhagat said. Devendra Jhajharia will be conferred with the Padma Bhushan. Ace Indian javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia is a two-time Paralympics gold medallist (Athens 2004, Rio 2016) and one-time silver medallist (Tokyo 2020). In 2012, he was the first Paralympian to be honoured with Padma Shri. The gold and bronze medallist at Tokyo Paralympics Avani Lekhara will be also honoured with Padma Shri.
Vandana Kataria who was part of the Indian women’s hockey team which finished fourth in the Tokyo Olympics will also be conferred with the Padma Shri award. Padma Shri will also be conferred on Brahmanand Sankhwalkar who is a former Indian footballer and a captain. He played as a goalkeeper in the team. Sankaranarayana Menon Chundayil, and Faisal Ali Dar, a former international martial arts champion are among others who will be conferred with the Padma Shri.