Sports Success Story: Jaipur Girl Divyakriti Singh, First Indian Woman To Receive Arjuna Award In Equestrian

Jaipur girl Divyakriti Singh makes history as the first Indian woman to receive Arjuna Award in Equestrian

Divyakriti Singh

New Delhi: In a monumental accomplishment, Divyakriti Singh, a native of Jaipur, has etched her name into the records of Indian sports history by becoming the first woman from the country to receive the esteemed Arjuna Award in Equestrian. The President of India, Draupadi Murmu, conferred the prestigious Arjuna Award upon Divyakriti Singh during a dazzling ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Tuesday.

This marks a pinnacle moment for the 23-year-old athlete, who secured a gold medal in Equestrian at the Asian Games. The announcement not only brought pride to Divyakriti but also to her home state of Rajasthan, as she stands alone as the sole representative from the region to receive the Arjuna Award in the current year.

In fact, she is the only recipient from Rajasthan to achieve this honor in the last five years, with the last athlete from the state receiving the Arjuna Award in 2018. Additionally, Divyakriti holds the distinction of being the first Indian woman to win a medal in Equestrian at the Asian Games.

Expressing her elation, Divyakriti stated, “This is a moment of immense pride for Equestrian sport and our noble companions, the horses, to receive recognition and reward from our Hon’ble President. It is a humbling experience, and I extend my gratitude to my family and my horses, whose support has been instrumental in helping me achieve this remarkable feat."

Divyakriti, an alumna of The Palace School in Jaipur and Mayo College Girls School in Ajmer, has undergone training in Germany for the past three years at the renowned Hof Kasselman dressage yard in Hagen.

Recalling her achievements, in September, Divyakriti contributed to the Gold Medal-winning Indian Dressage team at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. Subsequently, she secured an Individual Silver and two bronze medals at the International Dressage Competition in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia last month, achieving career-best scores and surpassing her Asian Games performance amidst fierce international competition with riders from around the world.

In March of this year, Divyakriti attained the rank of No.1 in Asia and No.14 in the World in the Global Dressage Rankings issued by the International Equestrian Federation.