Harvinder Singh becomes first para archer to receive prestigious Padma Shri award

Para archer Harvinder Singh, who won an historic gold medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, was conferred with the prestigious Padma Shri award at a ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhawan, the residence of the government president, on 26 January, India’s national day.

Singh is the first Indian para archer to be receive the honour, which is the fourth-highest civilian award in India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan.

Deepika Kumari and Tarundeep Rai were among the able-bodied archers named for the distinction in 2016 and 2020, respectively. 

“It’s a great honour to be receive the Padma Shri – which is the country’s fourth-highest civilian award,” said Singh. “This honour is not just for me but for the entire archery and para archery fraternity in India.”

“This honour is definitely a big boost to my preparation for the new season and the LA 2028 Paralympic Games.”

In 2021, Singh became the first para archer in history to be recognised with the Arjuna Award, India’s second-highest sporting honour, recognising athletes’ outstanding achievements in sports.

He also received the Arvind Jolly Award for Excellence in Sports from the Rotary Club of Bombay, honouring his indomitable spirit of sportsmanship, last December.

In Paris, Singh became the first ever Indian archer to win either Olympic or Paralympic gold when he collected the recurve men’s individual title on 4 September.

The 33-year-old improved on his bronze from Tokyo 2020, which already was India’s first medal in archery at either Games.

The para archer felt his hard work has finally paid off, after years of challenges and hardships. He admitted to giving up the sport in 2015, three years after making his international debut in the compound events.

“My performance wasn’t improving – I felt like I couldn’t do archery anymore,” he was quoted saying by Indo Asian News Service. 

However, with his coaches’ support and guidance he returned to the sport only to compete in recurve archery. And nine years later, Singh was a proud Paralympic Champion.

Much like every athlete, the two-time Paralympic medallist said his goals are to continue winning medals for India. 

“This year, the goal is to play and do well at the World Archery Para Championships, then the Asian Para Games 2026. Meanwhile, the focus will be on the preparations for LA28 Paralympic Games.”

“I will try to win my third Paralympic medal in Los Angeles.”