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Para Athlete Praveen Kumar on Padma Shri 2026: "This Motivates Me"

Para high jumper Praveen Kumar expressed that receiving the Padma Shri 2026 fills him with motivation to win more gold medals for India. He highlighted the love he receives from the nation through sports as a key driver. The award adds to his previous accolades, including the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna and a Paralympic gold medal. The government has approved 131 Padma Awards for 2026, with several sports personalities featured on the list.

Key Points: Praveen Kumar on Padma Shri 2026: Aims for Gold

  • Praveen Kumar honored with Padma Shri 2026
  • Award motivates him to target Paralympic gold
  • He is a Khel Ratna awardee & Paralympic champion
  • 131 Padma Awards approved for 2026
2 min read

"This motivates me": Para Athlete Praveen Kumar after being conferred with the Padma Shri 2026

Para athlete Praveen Kumar, honored with Padma Shri 2026, says the award motivates him to win gold for India. Full list of sports awardees.

"I am getting a lot of love from the nation due to sports. This motivates me to perform better... - Praveen Kumar"

By Vivek Prabhakar Singh, New Delhi, January 25

After being conferred with the Padma Shri 2026, Para Athlete Praveen Kumar said about getting a lot of love from the nation due to the sport.

Praveen Kumar added that this prestigious award will motivate him to perform better in the upcoming games and clinch a gold medal for the nation.

"I am getting a lot of love from the nation due to sports. This motivates me to perform better in the upcoming games and clinch a gold medal for the nation," he told ANI.

Last year, Para Athlete Praveen was also felicitated with the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. He also won a gold medal in the Men's High Jump T64 at the Paralympics 2024.

For the year 2026, the President has approved conferment of 131 Padma Awards, including two duo cases (in a duo case, the Award is counted as one). The list comprises five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri Awards.

Nineteen of the awardees are women, while the list also includes six persons from the categories of Foreign Nationals, Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) and Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs), along with 16 awardees honoured posthumously.

These awards are conferred by the President of India at ceremonial functions held at Rashtrapati Bhawan, usually around March and April each year.

The Padma Awards are among the highest civilian honours of the country and are conferred in three categories -- Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. Padma Vibhushan is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service, Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of a high order, and Padma Shri for distinguished service in any field.

The awards are given across a wide range of disciplines, including art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, and civil service. The Padma Awards are presented by the President of India at ceremonial functions held every year at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

Full list of Padma Awards 2026 for sports persons:

Padma Bhushan - Vijay Amritraj.

Padma Shree - Baldev Singh, Bhagwandas Raikwar, K Pajanivel, Praveen Kumar, Rohit Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur, Savita Punia, Vladimer Mestvirishvili.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
As someone who follows para sports closely, I'm so glad to see athletes like Praveen getting the recognition they deserve. The Padma Shri is a fitting honour for his incredible achievements. Wishing him all the best for the upcoming games!
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Rohit P
Fully deserved! He won gold for the nation and now gets the nation's honour. This is how we should celebrate our real heroes. Hope this motivates more youngsters, with or without disabilities, to take up sports seriously.
P
Priya S
While it's fantastic to see Praveen Kumar honoured, I do wish the media gave para sports the same consistent coverage as mainstream sports. Their achievements are no less significant. More visibility will lead to more support and inspiration.
M
Michael C
Reading this from abroad. It's heartening to see India honouring its sporting talent across the board. The inclusion of para athletes in the highest civilian awards sends a powerful message about inclusivity and respect. Well done!
K
Kavya N
His humility is as inspiring as his medals. Saying the award motivates him to win *more* gold for India... wah! That's the spirit. Jai Hind!

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