There are only a few days left for Paris Olympics 2024 to start. Veteran players from all over the world are now making final preparations to win medals for their country. A total of 117 athletes will be seen representing India in the Olympics. The contingent has some young faces who will be making their debut while some players will be playing in their last Olympics. So, let's take a look at the 6 Indian players who will be featuring in their last Olympics in Paris.

Also Read: Most Olympic Games without any medal: Monaco, Myanmar and Bangladesh in top 30

#1 Achanta Sharath Kamal

Achanta Sharath Kamal is arguably the greatest table tennis player to have graced the court representing the Indian tri-color. He will be featured in his fifth and likely his last Olympic games as he takes charge at the Paris Olympics 2024. Sharath Kamal has been selected as the flag bearer along with PV Sindhu by the Indian Olympic Committee. Born on July 12, 1982, Sharath Kamal has just recently turned 42 and will be one of the oldest athletes to participate in the Olympics. 

In his 22-year-long career, Sharath Kamal has won eight gold, three silver, and three bronze medals in Commonwealth Games. Apart from CWG's success, Sharath Kamal boasts the record of being the only player to have won the Senior National Championships for a total of 10 times. Sharath Kamal has also won two bronze medals at the Asian Games and three bronze medals at the Asian Championships.

Despite his tremendous record at the National level and in Asia, Sharath Kamal has yet to win a medal at the Olympic Games.

#2 Rohan Bopanna

Tennis superstar Rohan Bopanna will be participating in men's doubles alongside Sriram Balaji at the Paris Olympics 2024. He recently became the oldest player to be ranked number one in men's doubles. This will be Bopanna's last Olympics as the 44-year-old is the oldest member of the Indian contingent with the table tennis player Sharath Kamal being the closest as the 42-year-old. 

Since turning pro in 2003 Bopanna has been one of the flag-bearers of Indian tennis. Bopanna also has won the French Open (mixed doubles with Gabriela Dabrowski). Recently Bopanna won the Australian Open Grand Slam in January and reached the semi-finals at the French Open in June. He represented India at the London 2012 Games and Rio 2016 but an injury denied him the chance to feature at the Tokyo Olympics.

Also Read: Top 10 Indian athletes who can win a medal at Paris Olympics 2024

#3 HS Prannoy

HS Prannoy, who will be making his first appearance at the Olympics, is determined to fulfill his dream of competing on the Olympics stage, even though it has come later in his career than he might have hoped.

At 32, an age when many badminton players consider retirement, Prannoy put together his best year on the circuit to become India’s No.1 shuttler, a feat he had never achieved previously. The man from Kerala is known to be one of the best Indian players to pick up the racquet. A world championship and Asian Games medalist, HS Prannoy was a crucial part of the Thomas Cup-winning Indian team in 2022. In 2023, he ended India's wait of 41 years to win a medal in the men's singles category at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. He also won the silver medal at the inaugural edition of the Youth Olympics in 2010 in Singapore.

#4 PR Sreejesh

A veteran of three Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and World Cups, PR Sreejesh will be playing his fourth Olympic Games and probably his last, joining legends like Dhanraj Pillay who have represented the Indian team four times at the Olympic Games.

Having made his debut at the 2010 World Cup, Sreejesh has been part of various memorable wins for India, which include a Bronze medal in Jakarta-Palembang, joint winning team of the Asian Champions Trophy in 2018, Gold medal winning team of the 2019 FIH Men's Series Finals in Bhubaneswar and Silver medal winning team at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. The 36-year-old goalie was one of the main architects of India's historic Bronze medal win at the Tokyo Olympics.

Also Read: India at Olympics: India's Olympic medal tally by every edition

#5 Vinesh Phogat

Making a strong comeback to the international arena after leading a prolonged protest against former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat locked the Paris Olympics quota. The 29-year-old Vinesh has secured her third straight Olympic quota, having featured in the 2016 Rio Games and the 2020 edition Tokyo.

The road to Paris was not easy for Vinesh Phogat. The Indian wrestler had to drop down from the 53 kg to the 50 kg weight category to compete in the event, as Antim Panghal had already secured a berth in the former category. Vinesh also underwent knee surgery, which could affect her performance in the relatively unfamiliar category she has opted for in the Paris Olympics.

#6 Manpreet Singh

India midfielder Manpreet Singh has hinted that the Paris Olympics could end up being his last one as India looks for another medal in men's hockey. 32-year-old Manpreet, who will be playing his 4th Olympics, captained the side when they broke a 41-year-old Olympic medal drought in Tokyo by bagging the bronze. Besides, Manpreet has been a member of the team that won the 2014 and 2022 Asian Games gold medals.

But the journey from Mithapur village in Jalandhar to Paris has not been smooth sailing for Manpreet. He had to fight poverty, false allegations and witness mother’s struggles to make a mark in his career. After the Tokyo Olympics, Manpreet had to endure the worst phase of his career when former coach Sjoerd Marijne leveled serious allegations against him.

Manpreet is no longer captain of the side with Harmanpreet Singh taking over the responsibility, but the star mid-fielder knows his role in the team as one of the senior-most member.

Wherever Neeraj Chopra goes, he does not return empty-handed. This series started in 2016 when this rising star made a record for the first time at the Under-20 World Athletics Championships. From that day itself, we got a glimpse of the future to come, in which many records were to be made and broken one after the other.

On Friday night of 16 May, Neeraj maintained the same trend in Doha Diamond League 2025 and got his name registered in history, becoming the first Indian to breach the 90m mark in the sport. So, it's time we take a look at every Neeraj Chopra records that he has made in his tremendous career so far.

Also Read: Neeraj Chopra’s best throws: Here are all the top throws by javelin ace Neeraj Chopra

Every Neeraj Chopra records you should know

• First Indian to breach the 90m mark: Neeraj Chopra’s best throw is 90.23m, achieved at the Doha Diamond League on May 16, 2025. The mark stands as the men’s national record in India and Neeraj Chopra’s personal best. It was the first time an Indian had breached the 90m-mark in the javelin.
• First Indian to win Olympic medal in athletics: At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Neeraj Chopra produced a historic performance in the men's javelin throw event. Neeraj won the gold medal in the final with a throw of 87.58m, giving India its first Olympic medal in athletics. With this win, Neeraj Chopra also became the first Indian athlete to win a gold medal in a track and field event at the Olympics.
• First Indian to win silver at World Athletics Championships: Star Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra won a historic silver medal at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon. He recorded a throw of 88.13m in his fourth attempt to claim the second spot. Chopra thus is the first Indian to win a silver medal at the World Athletics Championships and only the second medallist from the country after Anju Bobby George in 2003.
• First Indian track and field athlete to win world championship: Neeraj Chopra won the gold medal at the 2016 IAAF World U20 Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland. With this win, the then 18-year-old Neeraj became the first Indian track and field athlete to become a world champion in any event and any age level.
• First Indian World Record holder in track & field: Neeraj Chopra Threw 86.48m at the junior championships in Poland to win the title. With this, he set the new under-20 world record, beating the 84.69m mark established by the previous holder, Latvia's Zigismunds Sirmais. Neeraj’s 86.48m attempt at Bydgoszcz still stands as both the U20 world record as well as the U20 Asian record in the javelin throw.
• Indian national javelin throw record holder: Neeraj Chopra’s best attempt to date came at the Stockholm Diamond League 2022 in Sweden on June 30, 2022, where he managed his personal best of 89.94m to establish the new national record.
• First Indian to win javelin throw gold at Asian Games: Neeraj Chopra is the first Indian javelin thrower to win a gold medal at the Asian Games. Before him, Gurtej Singh was the only men’s javelin thrower from the country to win a medal – bronze at the 1982 New Delhi Asian Games. Neeraj threw  88.06m to claim the 2018 Asian Games title.
• First Indian to win a Diamond League meet: Neeraj Chopra became the first Indian to win a Diamond League meet after he topped the field in Lausanne in 2022. With a depleted field that had world champion Anderson Peters missing, the Indian comfortably led the charts with an 89.08m throw, in his first attempt. 
• First Indian to become Diamond League champion: Neeraj Chopra is the first Indian athlete in history to clinch the Diamond League trophy, by winning the Zurich Diamond League 2022 Final. The Indian ace recorded a best throw of 88.44m to beat Tokyo 2020 silver medallist and 2016 champion Jakub Vadlejch to the title.
• First Indian to become world champion: Neeraj Chopra became India's first world champion after he clinched the gold medal in the men's javelin throw final at the World Athletics Championships 2023 in Budapest with an effort of 88.17m. It was Neeraj Chopra's second straight medal at the world championships after his silver at Oregon 2022.

Also Read: India at Olympics: India's Olympic medal tally by every edition

Neeraj Chopra Records: Best throws at major competitions

Indian javelin ace Neeraj Chopra bettered his throw of 89.94m with a season-best throw of 90.23m at the at the Doha Diamond League 2025. After this, he became the first Indian to breach the 90m mark in the sport.

Read Also: Every Neeraj Chopra Records You Should Know 

Despite the historic achievement, Chopra missed out on the top podium spot at the Doha Diamond League, where Germany’s Julian Weber stole the show with a massive throw. Chopra’s previous best was 89.94m, set on June 30, 2022, at the Stockholm Diamond League — a mark that stood as both his personal best and the men’s national record.

Neeraj achieved his target

• Neeraj Chopra’s best throw is 90.23m, achieved at the Doha Diamond League on May 16, 2025. The mark stands as the men’s national record in India and Neeraj Chopra’s personal best.
• The second-best throw of Neeraj Chopra's career is 89.94m. Neeraj had thrown this throw in the Stockholm Diamond League on 30 June 2022. This throw is a national record and one of Neeraj Chopra's best throws.
• Neeraj Chopra's third-best throw of 89.49m came at the Lausanne Diamond League 2024This is Chopra's best throw ever at a global championship and his third-best overall.
• Neeraj Chopra's fourth-best throw in javelin throw came at Paris Olympics 2024 where he bagged the silver medal with an 89.45m throw. 
• His fifth best throw came in Paavo Nurmi Games in 2022 where he went close to that 90m mark once again.
• In the Lausanne Diamond League 2022, held in the month of August, Neeraj Chopra had thrown the sixth-best throw of his career. Neeraj had thrown the javelin 89.08 meters.
• Neeraj's seventh-best throw came in the Asian Games 2023 held in Hangzhou. In this round, Neeraj had achieved a distance of 88.88m.
• Neeraj Chopra's eighth-best throw came in the World Athletics Championships 2023 in Budapest. In this competition which was held on August 25, 2023, Neeraj showed excellent performance and achieved a distance of 88.77m.
  

Also Read: India at Olympics: India's Olympic medal tally by every edition

Hockey India have announced all the nominations for the 7th Hockey India Annual Awards 2024. The award ceremony will take place on 15th March in New Delhi with a record prize pool of approx INR 12 crores. 

Read Also | Yo-Yo Test: Hardik Singh’s Revelation Sparks Debate Between Fitness of Cricketers and Hockey Players

A total of 32 players have been nominated across eight categories for the award ceremony this year. Among all the awards, the Hockey India Balbir Singh Sr. Award for Player of the Year will be under the spotlight which will honour the best male and female hockey players of India. 

During the ceremony, India’s Olympic bronze medal-winning team will be felicitated, along with the Men’s and Women’s teams that won the Asian Champions Trophy in 2024. The Junior Asia Cup-winning Men’s and Women’s teams will also be honoured during the award ceremony.

The award ceremony will also celebrate 50th anniversary of the Indian Men’s Hockey Team’s historic World Cup victory on the same date in 1975—their first and only title to date.

Read Also | The New Age Indian Hockey Stars: Who to Watch in 2025

The Nominees for the Hockey India Annual Awards 2024 are:

Hockey India Baljit Singh Award for Goalkeeper of the Year 2024 

1. Bichu Devi Kharibam

 2. Krishan Bahadur Pathak

 3. PR Sreejesh

 4. Savita 

Hockey India Pargat Singh Award for Defender of the Year 2023

1. Sanjay

2. Amit Rohidas

3. Harmanpreet Singh

4. Udita

 Hockey India Ajit Pal Singh Award for Midfielder of the Year 2024

1. Jarmanpreet Singh 

2. Hardik Singh

3. Nilakanta Sharma

 4. Sumit

Read Also | Amir Ali: A Journey From "tin briefcase" to Hockey Glory

 Hockey India Dhanraj Pillay Award for Forward of the Year 2024 

1. Lalremsiami

2. Abhishek

3. Sukhjeet Singh

4. Navneet Kaur

 Hockey India Asunta Lakra Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (Women – Under 21) 

1. Beauty Dungdung

2. Deepika

3. Vaishnavi Vithal Phalke

4. Sunelita Toppo

Hockey India Jugraj Singh Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (Men – Under 21)

 1. Arshdeep Singh

 2. Amir Ali

 3. Shardanand Tiwari

 4. Araijeet Singh Hundal

Hockey India Balbir Singh Sr. Award for Player of The Year (Women)

1. Savita Punia

 2. Salima Tete

 3. Sangita Kumari

 4. Navneet Kaur

Hockey India Balbir Singh Sr. Award for Player of The Year (Men)

1. Abhishek

2. Hardik Singh

3. Harmanpreet Singh

 4. Sukhjeet Singh

Before the Republic Day, the Central Government has announced the Padma Awards, in which this year 5 Indian sportspersons have been honored for their outstanding contribution.

Veteran Indian hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh will be awarded the Padma Bhushan for winning two consecutive Olympic medals.

While India's great cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin will receive the Padma Shri.

Also Read: Major sports events in India 2025 - full calendar

The Padma Bhushan is India's third-highest civilian award after Bharat Ratna and Padma Vibhushan. Padma Shri is the fourth-highest civilian award.

The Padma Awards are given to individuals by the government for their distinguished service in any field.

There will be a total of 139 recipients of the Padma Awards 2025. The list comprises seven Padma Vibhushan, 19 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri awards.

Padma Awards 2025 | Winners in Sports

• PR Sreejesh (hockey) - Padma Bhushan
• Ravichandran Ashwin (cricket) - Padma Shri
• IM Vijayan (football) - Padma Shri
• Harvinder Singh (para-archery) - Padma Shri
• Satyapal Singh (athletics) - Padma Shri

PR Sreejesh (Hockey) | Padma Bhushan

India's great hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh will be awarded the Padma Bhushan, who played an important role in India winning the bronze medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

He becomes only the second hockey player to be conferred the Padma Bhushan after the legendary Major Dhyan Chand, who was honoured with the award in 1956.

Sreejesh also led India to a historic bronze medal in Tokyo 2020 and became the FIH Goalkeeper of the Year for three consecutive times.

Sreejesh's stellar career spanned 18 years, and he represented India in 336 international matches.

He is currently serving as the coach of the Indian men’s junior hockey team. 

Ravichandran Ashwin (Cricket) | Padma Shri

India's great spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will be awarded the Padma Shri for scoring more than 3,000 runs in 106 Test matches with 537 wickets and 6 centuries.

Before announcing his retirement during the Australia tour in December 2024, Ashwin has been a part of many historic moments for Indian cricket, including the 2011 World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy wins. 

He retired as India's second-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket last year.

His contribution led India to success in many important Test series.

IM Vijayan (Football) | Padma Shri

The great footballer of the 1990s IM Vijayan will also be honored with the Padma Shri Award. 

He was the biggest star of Indian football before Bhaichung Bhutia and Sunil Chhetri. 

Vijayan made his international debut in 1991 against Romania and remained the backbone of the Blue Tigers for 12 years.

Along with Bhaichung, IM Vijayan formed a deadly attacking duo. He hung up his boots in 2003.

Harvinder Singh (Para-archery) | Padma Shri

Archer Harvinder Singh, who achieved India’s first-ever Paralympic gold medal in the sport at Paris 2024, will be awarded the Padma Shri for his historic contribution. 

He was also the first archer from India to win a medal in Olympics or Paralympics at Tokyo 2020. 

For this brilliant achievement, he has been awarded the country's fourth highest civilian honour.

Harvinder contracted dengue when he was just over a year old and eventually lost the movement in his legs.

Satyapal Singh (Athletics) | Padma Shri

Former athlete and Dronacharya awardee Satyapal Singh has also been selected for Padma Shri.

Satyapal is one of India’s successful international coaches who works with national and international bodies. 

He is a former competition manager at the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) and a coach of the Indian para-athletics team. 

He was also a mentor for Paris 2024 Paralympics gold-winning high-jumper Praveen Kumar.

Also Read: Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award 2024: Full Winners List

273 Padma Awards and 1 Bharat Ratna in Sports so far | Full List

Bharat Ratna

• Shri Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar

Padma Vibhushan

• Smt. Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom
• Sir Edmund Hillary (Posthumous)
• Shri Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar
• Shri Viswanathan Anand

Padma Bhushan

• Shri Devendra Jhajharia
• Kumari P. V. Sindhu
• Ms. Bachendri Pal
• Shri Pankaj Advani
• Shri Mahendra Singh Dhoni
• Ms. Saina Nehwal
• Smt. Sania Mirza
• Shri Satpal
• Shri Leander Paes
• Shri Pullela Gopichand
• Shri Rahul Dravid
• Smt. M. C. Mary Kom
• Shri Abhinav Bindra
• Dr. Vijaypat Singhania
• Shri Chandrakant Gulabrao Borde
• Shri Viswanathan Anand
• Prof. Dinkar Balwant Deodhar
• Shri Kapil Dev Nikhanj
• Shri Lala Amarnath
• Shri Michael Joseph Ferreira
• Raja Bhalendra Singh
• Shri Sunil Manohar Gavaskar
• Shri Vinoo Mankad
• Shri Mihir Kumar Sen
• Shri Ramanathan Krishnan
• Lt. Cmdr. Mohan Singh Kohli
• Shri Nawang Gombu
• Shri Sonam Gyatso
• Shri Tenzing Norkay
• Maharajkumar Vijaya Ananda
• Rao Raja Hanunt Singh
• Shri Cottari Kanakaiyah Nayudu
• Shri Dhyan Chand

Padma Shri

• Shri Rohan Bopanna
• Ms. Joshna Chinappa
• Shri Uday Vishwanath Deshpande
• Shri Gaurav Khanna
• Shri Satendra Singh Lohiya
• Smt. Purnima Mahato
• Shri Harbinder Singh
• Shri S R D Prasad
• Shri Gurcharan Singh
• Shri Sumit Antil
• Shri Pramod Bhagat
• Shri Neeraj Chopra
• Shri Sankara Narayana Menon Chundayil
• Shri Fasil Ali Dar
• Ms. Vandana Kataria
• Ms. Avani Lekhara
• Shri Brahmanand Sagun Kamat Shankhwalkar
• Smt. P. Anitha
• Smt. Mouma Das
• Dr. Anshu Jamsenpa
• Shri O. M. Nambiar (Posthumous)
• Ms. Sudha Singh
• Shri Virender Singh
• Shri K Y Venkatesh
• Shri Zaheerkhan Bakhtiyarkhan Khan
• Ms. Oinam Bembem Devi
• Shri M. P. Ganesh
• Shri Jitu Rai
• Shri Tarundeep Rai
• Ms. Rani
• Shri Sunil Chhetri
• Smt. Harika Dronavalli
• Shri Gautam Gambhir
• Shri Sharath Kamal Achanta
• Smt. L. Bombayla Devi
• Shri Bajrang Punia
• Ms. Prashanti Singh
• Shri Ajay Thakur
• Ms. Saikhom Mirabai Chanu
• Shri Somdev Kishore Devvarman
• Shri Murlikant Rajaram Petkar
• Shri Kidambi Srikanth
• Shri Shekar Naik Lachma
• Shri Virat Kohli
• Shri Mariyappan T
• Shri Shreejesh P R
• Shri Vikas Shive Gowda
• Ms. Deepa Malik
• Ms. Dipa Karmakar
• Ms. Sakshi Malik
• Ms. Deepika Kumari
• Shri Sushil Doshi
• Ms. Arunima Sinha
• Ms. Mithali Raj
• Ms. P.V. Sindhu
• Shri Sardar Singh
• Smt. Saba Anjum
• Dr. Sunil Dabas
• Ms Anjum Chopra
• Ms Dipika Rebecca Pallikal
• Shri H. Boniface Prabhu
• Shri Love Raj Singh Dharmshaktu
• Shri Yuvraj Singh
• Smt. Mamta Sodha
• Shri Bajrang Lal Takhar
• Shri H. N. Girisha
• Shri Ngangom Dingko Singh
• Shri Yogeshwar Dutt
• Smt. Premlata Agrawal
• Vijay Kumar
• Ms. Jhulan Goswami
• Prof. Ravi Chaturvedi
• Shri Ajeet Bajaj
• Shri Devendra Jhajhria
• Shri Limba Ram Ahari
• Shri Prabhakar Ambadaspant Vaidya
• Shri S. M. Arif
• Shri Zafar Iqbal
• Ms. N. Kunjarani Devi
• Ms. Shital Kamalakar Mahajan
• Shri Gagan Narang
• Shri Harbhajan Singh
• Shri Sushil Kumar
• Shri V. V. S. Laxman
• Smt. Krishna Poonia
• Ms. Saina Nehwal
• Shri Ignace Tirkey
• Shri Kumar Ram Narain Karthikeyan
• Shri Ramakant Vithal Achrekar
• Shri Vijender Singh
• Shri Virender Sehwag
• Shri Balbir Singh Kullar
• Shri Harbhajan Singh Plaha
• Shri Mahendra Singh Dhoni
• Shri Pankaj Advani
• Shri Bhaichung Bhutia
• Smt. Bula Chowdhury Chakraborty
• Kumari Koneru Humpy
• Shri Chiranjeev Milkha Singh
• Miss Sania Mirza
• Shri Bahadur Singh Sagoo
• Shri Mohan Singh Gunjyal
• Smt. Madhumita Bisht
• Smt. Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom
• Lt. Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore
• Ms. Rachel Thomas
• Shri Anil Kumble
• Shri Gurbachan Singh Randhawa
• Shri Pullela Gopi Chand
• Ms. K. M. Beenamol
• Shri Dilip Kumar Tirkey
• Shri Rahul Dravid
• Shri Sourav Ganguly
• Smt. Anju Bobby George
• Smt. Gurumayum Anita Devi
• Yogacharya Sadashiv Prahlad Nimbalkar
• Ms. Jyotirmoyee Sikdar
• Shri Gopal Purushottam Phadke
• Shri Kanhaya Lal Pokhriyal
• Shri Nandanoori Mukesh Kumar
• Shri Srinivas Venkataraghavan
• Ms. Diana Fram Edulji
• Shri Jaspal Rana
• Ms. Bhuvneshwari Kumari
• Ms. Malathi Krishnamurthy Holla
• Ms. Sunita Rani
• Shri Dhanraj Pillay
• Shri Leander Adrian Paes
• Shri Mahesh Bhupathi
• Smt. Santosh Yadav
• Shri Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar
• Smt. Karnam Malleshwari
• Hon. Capt. Lila Ram
• Shri Pargat Singh Powar
• Shri Ramesh Krishnan
• Smt. Shiny Wilson
• Hony Capt. Shriram Singh (Retd.)
• Shri Ajit Pal Singh
• Shri Aspy Darabshaw Adajania
• Shri Hukam Singh
• Kum. Selma Juliet Christina D' Silva
• Shri Sonam Paljor
• Smt. Ujwala Patil
• Kum. Chandra Prabha Aitwal
• Shri Gulshan Rai
• Shri Jaman Lal Sharma
• Shri Pradip Kumar Banerjee
• Shri Prem Chand Dogra
• Shri Taranath Narayan Shenoy
• Shri Mohammed Azharuddin
• Shri Viswanathan Anand
• Miss Bhagyashree Vasantrao Sathe
• Shri Dilip Balwant Vengsarkar
• Shri Kartar Singh
• Kumari Anupama Gajanan Abhyankar
• Shri Geet Siriram Sethi
• Shri Mohammed Shahid
• Shri Swarup Krishan Reu
• Col. Darshan Kumar Khullar
• Miss Bachendri Pal
• Shri Phu Dorjee
• Miss Pilavullakandy Thekkeyparambil Usha
• Shri Om B. Agrawal
• Shri Charles Borromeo
• Shri Chuni Goswami
• Dafadar Raghubir Singh
• Guru Lairenmayum Damu Singh
• Miss Geeta Zutshi
• Miss Manathoor Devasia Valsamma
• Shri Bahadur Singh
• Shri Chand Ram
• Shri Guru Hanuman
• Shri Kaur Singh
• Shri Sat Pal Singh
• Shri Vijay Prakash Amritraj
• Smt. Eliza Nelson
• Shri Kapil Dev Nikhanj
• Shri Prakash Ramesh Padukone
• Shri Syed M.H. Kirmani
• Shri Vasudevan Baskaran
• Kum. Meena Shah
• Shri Harikant Dang
• Shri Roshan Lal Anand
• Shri Pankaj Lal Roy
• Lt. Comdr. Joginder Singh
• Shri Farookh M. Engineer
• Major Harsh Vardhan Bahuguna (Posthumous)
• Shri Ajit Laxman Wadekar
• Shri Bhagavath Subramanya Chandrasekhar
• Kum. Kamaljit Sandhu
• Shri Chandgi Ram
• Shri Ghaus Mohamed
• Shri Gundappa Ranganath Viswanath
• Shri Leslie Claudius
• Shri Sailendra Nath Manna
• Shri Bishen Singh Bedi
• Shri Erapally Anantharao Srinivasa Prasanna
• Shri Syed Mohd. Moinul Haq
• Shri Chandrakant Gulabrao Borde
• Nawab Mohd. Mansur Ali Khan
• Shri Gurdial Singh
• Shri Prithipal Singh
• Shri Shankar Laxman
• Shri Kishan Lal
• Capt. Avtar Singh Vohra Cheema
• Capt. Hari Pal Singh Ahluwalia
• Major Narendra Kumar
• Prof. Dinkar Balwant Deodhar
• Shri Ang Kami
• Shri Chandra Prakash Vohra
• Shri Harish Chander Singh Rawat
• Shri Phu Dorji
• Shri Sonam Wangyal
• Shri Wilson Jones
• Shri Charanjit Singh
• Shri Morapakam Josiam Gopalan
• Shri Nawang Gombu
• Shri Mushtaq Ali
• Shri Gostha Behari Paul
• Shri Nari J. Contractor
• Shri P.R. Umrigar
• Shri Ramanathan Krishnan
• Shri Sonam Gyatso
• Brig. Gyan Singh
• Kum. Arati Saha
• Shri Jasu Patel
• Shri Vijay Hazare
• Jemadar Milkha Singh
• Shri Mihir Sen
• Kanwar Digvijai Singh
• Shri Balbir Singh

Indian Junior Men's Hockey team has defeated Japan 4-2 in the opening match of the 12th Sultan of Johor Cup 2024 here on Saturday.

The win was welcomed with a big smile by PR Sreejesh

The team took inspiration from the former ace goalkeeper and its respected coach PR Sreejesh. This is the first stint as a coach for two-time Olympic medalist Sreejesh. He bid farewell to the sport as a player after the Paris Olympics 2024 in August.

Also Read: Amir Ali: A Journey From "tin briefcase" to Hockey Glory

It was a high-octane match

Goals were scored by Amir Ali (12’), Gurjot Singh (36’), Anand Sourabh Kushwaha (44’) and Ankit Pal (47’) in India’s win while Tsubasa Tanaka (26’) and Rakusei Yamanaka (57’) scored for Japan. It was a high-octane match right from the start with India Colts playing attacking hockey, looking for scoring opportunities early in the game. 

India punctured the Japanese defense when Amir Ali scored a fine field goal in the 12th minute of the match. Japan bounced back from this early setback when Tsubasa Tanaka scored in the 26th minute to equalize. 

This equalizer didn’t dent India’s spirit as it stopped Japan from taking a 2-1 lead when Neo Sato and Yuto Higuchi worked in tandem to set up a fine shot on goal, thanks to India goalie Ali Khan who was impressive in the goalpost to make a fine save. 

Six minutes after the half-time break, India regained the lead when Gurjot Singh, who had made his senior international debut at the Asian Champions Trophy last month, scored a fine field goal. He was brilliantly assisted by Mohd Konain Dad to set up this goal and put India in good momentum.

Only minutes later, Dilraj Singh tactfully helped India earn a crucial PC which helped extend the lead to a strong 3-1 in the 44th minute. Anand Sourabh Kushwaha was on-target as his explosive drag-flick flew past Japan’s goalie Kisho Kuroda. 

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Ankit Pal scored team's 5th goal

India’s goal-fest continued into the final quarter with Ankit Pal scoring the team’s fourth goal in the 47th minute. He picked up a rebound from a PC to put the ball past Japan’s keeper. This put India in formidable position. 

Though Japan converted a goal in the 57th minute through Rakusei Yamanaka, India stayed ahead 4-2. There were some nervy moments as the match inched towards the final hooter with Indian attackers upping the ante, hunting for a fifth goal. But Japan’s goalie Koki Origasa did well to keep the goal at bay as India ended the play with a fine 4-2 win. 

India won 3-1 over Japan in their last match in the Junior Asia Cup in May 2023 and also defeated this team 5-1 in the 2022 Sultan of Johor Cup.