India, Nov. 13 -- Years of hard work, personal sacrifices and sporting milestones culminated in moments of pride as athletes and coaches received the Arjuna and Dronacharya awards from President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here on Friday.

For decathlete Tejaswin Shankar, chess Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi and hockey player Lalremsiami, the occasion was an opportunity to celebrate their achievements while looking ahead to bigger goals.

Deaf shooter Dhanush Srikanth and para shooter Rudransh Khandelwal were also among the Arjuna awardees, while coaches Neha Chavan and Chhote Lal Yadav received the Dronacharya Award.

The last time the country did not have a Khel Ratna awardee was in 2014.

Tejaswin, who won a historic decathlon...