'Indian women’s hockey team recognised': Savita Punia on Padma award

BHUBANESWAR: Following a difficult last year, Savita Punia was in for a huge surprise on Sunday after it was announced that she will be awarded the Padma Shri award this year. She is among the 113 individuals who will be conferred the award by the President later this year.

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As expected, she was both “excited and nervous” after hearing the news and dedicated it to her father, Mahender Punia, who has always supported her in her hockey journey and who had been waiting, alongside her brother, for the good news.



“I don’t know how to express myself because it’s a matter of huge pride for me and my family,” said the India goalkeeper with 308 caps as she thanked Hockey India for all their support.

Currently busy at the camp in Bengaluru, and training under new coach Sjoerd Marijne, Savita had completely forgotten about the awards which are always announced a day before the Republic Day and it made the news even more special.

However, she believes the award doesn’t only belong to her but it recognises the entire women’s team, who were over the moon the moment the news broke.

LIST OF WINNERS: World Cup-winning Indian cricket team captains Rohit Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur and tennis great Vijay Amritraj were among nine sportspersons who were named as recipients of Padma Awards 2026 by the Indian government on Sunday.

• Vijay Amritraj (Tennis) - Padma Bhushan
• Baldev Singh (Hockey) - Padma Shri
• Bhagwandas Raikwar (Bundeli war art trainer) - Padma Shri
• Harmanpreet Kaur (Cricket) - Padma Shri
• K Pajanivel (Silambam coach) - Padma Shri
• Praveen K (Para high jumper) - Padma Shri
• Rohit Sharma (Cricket) - Padma Shri
• Savita Punia (Hockey) - Padma Shri
• Vladimir Mestvirishvili (Wrestling) - Padma Shri (Posthumous)

“I know it’s an individual award, but for me it’s a team award. I may have got the award but more importantly, the Indian women’s hockey team has been recognized,” said the former India captain, who was born in Hanumangarh, Rajasthan, but trained in Hisar, Haryana.

“This will also be a huge motivation after the downfall that has been going on in Indian women’s hockey over the past couple of years. With the World Cup Qualifiers coming up in March, this is also a great start to the year.”

Savita, who is only the second Indian woman hockey player to have played 300 international matches apart from Vandana Katariya, moreover believes this award will inspire the youngsters in the team to work even harder in the hope of getting similar recognition in the future.

Hopefully, her dreams will come true and the team will put up some memorable performances throughout the year as they compete in the Asian Games and World Cup Qualifiers.

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