New Delhi [India], August 19 (ANI): Indian badminton doubles stars Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly had two reasons to celebrate on Tuesday as they were named among the recipients of the Arjuna Award for 2025 before progressing to the Round of 16 at the BWF World Championships 2026 in New Delhi.
The women's doubles pair was among the 17 sportspersons named for the prestigious sporting honour on Tuesday morning. Later in the evening, Gayatri and Treesa marked the special day with a straight-game victory over USA's Lauren Lam and Allison Lee in their Round of 32 clash at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.
Reacting to the award announcement, Gayatri said, "Feels amazing, super grateful. It feels very special. I just feel very proud and I'm just feeling very happy."
Asked whether she had spoken to her father and former Indian badminton star Pullela Gopichand after the announcement, Gayatri told reporters, "I haven't talked to Gopi sir yet, but the whole family just said congrats, and they are very happy."
Treesa also described the recognition as a special moment for her family.
"I think it's immense; I'm so happy. It was a dream of my father's to get an Arjuna Award, so he just called me and said like, 'Yeah, you got the Arjuna Award', and I'm so happy that it's coming home soon," she said.
The recognition comes on the back of the pair's consistent performances on the international circuit. Gayatri's honour also carries a family connection, with her father Pullela Gopichand having received the Arjuna Award in 1999.
Later in the day, the Indian duo ensured their celebrations continued on court, defeating Lam and Lee 21-15, 21-12 in the Round of 32.
The world No. 39 pair took control of the contest after a competitive opening phase and maintained their attacking approach to close out the second game comfortably.
Speaking about their performance, Gayatri said, "The courts were like very much like yesterday, a bit tricky, but I think we just wanted to adapt quickly and not get too frustrated, but as soon as we got to know how the shuttle was moving, I think we could play our game better. And yeah, I think we were pretty aggressive today, which worked in our favour, so yeah, really happy [with the win]."
The victory booked Treesa and Gayatri a place in the women's doubles Round of 16 at the home World Championships, which are being held in India for the first time since 2009.
Their progress also provided a bright spot for India's women's doubles campaign after Kavipriya Selvam and Simran Singhi were eliminated in the Round of 32, losing 7-21, 14-21 to Bulgarian sisters Stefani and Gabriela Stoeva.
The National Sports Awards recognise sporting excellence, with the Arjuna Award being given for sustained performance over the previous four years as well as qualities of leadership, sportsmanship and discipline.
The athletes set to receive the award are: Tejaswin Shankar (athletics), Muhammad Ajmal Variyathodi (athletics), Priyanka Goswami (athletics), Treesa Jolly (badminton), Gayatri Gopichand (badminton), Narender (boxing), Vidit Santosh Gujarathi (chess) Divya Jitendra Deshmukh (chess), Dhanush Srikanth (deaf shooting), Lalremsiami (hockey), Rajkumar Pal (hockey), Surjeet (kabaddi), Pooja (kabaddi), Rudransh Khandelwal (para-shooting), Ekta Bhyan (para-shooting), Arvind Singh (rowing) and Akhil Sheoran (shooting). (ANI)
"Feels amazing, super grateful": Gayatri Gopichand, Treesa Jolly celebrate Arjuna Award nomination
