Bengal paddler Ayhika Mukherjee receives Arjuna Award
Hailing from Naihati in Bengal, table tennis player Ayhika Mukherjee was conferred the Arjuna Award by the President of India, Droupadi Murmu at a function at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday, January 9.
In July 2019, she achieved the distinction of becoming the first Indian table tennis player to win a gold medal in the women’s singles category at the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships.
The pinnacle of her career to date involves winning the bronze in the women’s doubles event at the Hangzhou Asian Games last year, alongside her long-standing partner Sutirtha Mukherjee.
In a remarkable feat, the duo surprised the world champion pair from China, Meng Chen and Yidi Wang with a 3-1 victory, securing a spot in the semi-finals and ensuring India a medal.
The ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals, scheduled to be held in Busan in South Korea from February 16-25, will decide whether or not the Indian team will qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
