Kerala athletes Muhammed Ajmal V and Treesa Jolly have been named among the 17 sportspersons selected for the Arjuna Award 2025, recognising their achievements in athletics and badminton.

Muhammed Ajmal V: Kerala runner making his mark in Indian athletics

Muhammed Ajmal V, from Palakkad, is a prominent Indian 4x400m relay runner and has represented India in major international competitions. His selection for the Arjuna Award recognises his performances in athletics over the qualifying period.

Ajmal has been part of India's 4x400m relay setup and has emerged as one of the country's notable quarter-milers. His recognition adds another national sporting honour to Kerala's growing list of achievements in athletics.

Treesa Jolly: From Kannur to the national badminton stage

Treesa Jolly, from Cherupuzha in Kannur, has established herself as one of India's leading doubles badminton players.

She received her early training from her father, Jolly Mathew. The Kerala Badminton Association later supported her development, including sending her to Indonesia for specialised training.

Treesa represented India at the Under-15 Sub-Junior Asian Games and Junior World Championships. She later progressed to the senior level and represented India at the Thomas and Uber Cup in Denmark in 2021.

A historic Commonwealth Games achievement

Treesa's biggest breakthrough came at the Commonwealth Games, where she won two medals — a bronze in women's doubles and a silver as part of the mixed team.

The achievement made her the first Malayali athlete to win two medals at the Commonwealth Games.

Her performances also led the Kerala government to appoint her to the State Goods and Services Tax Department.

17 athletes receive the Arjuna Award

The 2025 Arjuna Award list includes athletes from athletics, badminton, boxing, chess, hockey, kabaddi, shooting, para-sports and rowing.

The other recipients are Tejaswin Shankar, Priyanka Goswami, Pullela Gayatri Gopichand, Narender, Vidit Santosh Gujrathi, Divya Jitendra Deshmukh, Dhanush Srikanth, Lalremsiami, Rajkumar Pal, Surjeet, Pooja, Rudransh Khandelwal, Ekta Bhyan, Arvind Singh and Akhil Sheoran.

The Arjuna Award recognises outstanding sporting performance over the previous four years, along with qualities such as leadership, sportsmanship and discipline.

Other National Sports Awards

Footballer I Arumainayagam has been selected for the Arjuna Award (Lifetime).

The Dronacharya Award recipients include athletics coach Parveer Singh, boxing coach Chhote Lal Yadav and shooting coach Neha Nandkumar Chavan. Dharmendra Singh Yadav and Virender Kumar will receive the Dronacharya Award in the lifetime category.

The Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar 2025 has been awarded to the Army Paralympic Node, Pune.