Left out of Arjun Award list, triple jumper is back with gritDown but not out, says Arpinder

Deepkamal Kaur

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Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, August 28

Even with four international medals in hand, no government recognition has come Arpinder Singh’s way for the past few years. The triple jumper, who was expecting the Arjuna Award for himself this year, is down but not out as he continues to practise at Government Sports College here.

Arpinder needs no introduction. He is a winner of gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. He is the first Indian gold medal winner at the Asian Indoor Games held at Ashgabad, Turkmenistan, in 2017. Arpinder won bronze medals at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the 2018 World Continental Cup in Czech Republic.

“Had I been among the 27 Arjuna awardees, I would have been a part of the National Sports Awards ceremony to be held on National Sports Day on Friday. My coach has been conferred the Dronacharya Award for my performance in the Asian Games where I won a gold medal, but I have been ignored for the fourth time. Of course, I feel dejected at the moment, but how long will the authorities continue to ignore my credentials. I am continuing the hard work and will definitely submit claim for the award the next time,” said the 27-year-old athlete, showing his grit and determination.

Outlining his goal, Arpinder said: “I am a fighter and am preparing myself to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. During the initial days of spread of the pandemic, I could not come here and practise. But after the sports facilities opened about three months ago, I rejoined my practise sessions. I am regaining my form and am in a much better position now to further improve my records. My fingers are crossed and I hope the normalcy gets restored at the earliest, so that competitions are back and the Olympic games are organised next year.”