NEW DELHI: Former Indian men's hockey captain PR Sreejesh has been selected for the prestigious Padma Bhushan, while recently-retired cricket legend Ravichandran Ashwin is among the recipients of the Padma Shri.
Four athletes and a para-coach are included in the final list of 139 individuals announced for the coveted civilian awards on Saturday.
Alongside Sreejesh and Ashwin, legendary footballer
IM Vijayan
and India's first Paralympic gold medal-winning archer Harvinder Singh have been named for the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian honour.
Para-athletics coach Satyapal Singh, who guided high-jumper Praveen Kumar to a gold medal at the Paris Paralympics, is also being honoured with the Padma Shri.
Sreejesh, 36, retired after securing a second consecutive Olympic bronze with the national hockey team in Paris and is currently serving as the head coach of the junior men's team.
Ashwin, 38, retired midway through
Border-Gavaskar series
in Australia, leaving behind a remarkable legacy as the nation's second-highest Test wicket-taker with 537 wickets in 106 matches.
The five awardees were chosen by President Droupadi Murmu on the eve of the 76th Republic Day.
The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian honour, following the Bharat Ratna and Padma Vibhushan.
This year's Padma awards also include seven Padma Vibhushan, 19 Padma Bhushan, and 113 Padma Shri awardees, celebrating distinguished service across various fields.
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