JAIPUR: In a momentous achievement, Jaipur girl Divyakriti Singh has etched her name in the annals of Indian sports history as the first woman from the country to be honoured with the prestigious Arjuna Award in Equestrian.
The President of India, Draupadi Murmu, presented the coveted Arjuna Award to Divyakriti Singh at a glittering ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Tuesday, marking a crowning glory for the Asian Games Gold medallist in equestrian.
The announcement came as a proud moment not only for the 23-year-old Divyakriti but also for her home state of Rajasthan, as she stands as the sole representative from the region to receive the Arjuna Award in the current year. In fact, she is the only one from Rajasthan to get the Arjuna Award in the last five years. The last athlete from Rajasthan to get the Arjuna Award was in 2018. She is also the first Indian Woman to win a medal at Asian Games in Equestrian.
An elated Divyakriti said: “This is a moment of immense pride for the 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."
An alumnus of The Palace School, Jaipur and Mayo College Girls School in Ajmer, Divyakriti has been training in Germany for the last three years at the famous Hof Kasselman dressage yard in Hagen.
It is to be recalled that in September, Divyakriti was part of the Gold Medal winning Indian Dressage team at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. Post that she won an Individual Silver and two bronze medals at the International Dressage Competition in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia last month with career best scores improving upon her Asian Games scores amongst stiff international competition with riders from across the globe.
Divyakriti was Ranked No.1 in Asia and No.14 in the World in the Global Dressage Rankings issued by the International Equestrian Federation in March this year.
