Manipur athletes Naorem Roshibina Devi and Pukhrambam Sushila Chanu to be conferred Arjuna Awards 2023

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has announced the National Sports Awards 2023 today. 

Wushu champion Naorem Roshibina Devi and Hockey player Pukhrambam Sushila Chanu from Manipur will be coffered ‘Arjuna Awards’ for their outstanding performance in Sports and Games 2023.

Besides them, 24 other sports persons will be conferred Arjuna Awards.

Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award 2023 will be given to Chirag Chandrashekhar Shetty and Rankireddy Satwik Sai Raj for their immense contribution to Badminton.

The awardees will receive their awards from President Droupadi Murmu in a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan on January 9, 2024. 

Who is Naorem Roshibina Devi?

Roshibina hails from Bishnupur district of Manipur. She was introduced to the world of combat sports at a very young age as she had an innate ability and an overwhelming passion for martial arts.

The breaking point for Roshibina Devi came when she competed for India in the National Wushu Championships and won gold medals in various categories.

Roshibina had won a silver medal in the Wushu women’s 60 kg category at the Asian Games 2022 held in September 2023.

She had also won a bronze medal in the 2018 edition of the Asian Games held in Jakarta. She had won gold at the 2019 South Asian Games in Nepal. 

In Asian Wushu Championships 2009, she had won a silver medal and in the 9th Asian Junior Wushu Championships held in Gumi, South Korea, she won a gold medal.

Who is Pukhrambam Sushila Chanu?

Pukhrambam Sushila Chanu was born on February 25, 1992 in Imphal, Manipur.

Drawn towards sports from a young age, Chanu’s interest grew when she went with her father to witness a football game at the 1999 Manipur National Games.

She began playing hockey at the stadium the age of 11 and was soon selected for the national camp.

At the Women’s Hockey Junior World Cup in Mönchengladbach in 2013, Chanu gained fame by leading the junior women’s team to a bronze medal finish. She made her debut for the senior national team, competing for the bronze in the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon.

She made her international debut at the 2008 Women’s Hockey Junior Asia Cup, held in Kuala Lumpur, where India won a bronze medal. 

She has 150 international caps to her name and was the captain of the Indian national team.

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