# Kerala’s Ajmal, Treesa Jolly win Arjuna Award 2025 2026-08-18T10:13:03+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Muhammed Ajmal V and Treesa Jolly, both from Kerala, are among 17 sportspersons named for the Arjuna Award 2025, recognising outstanding performance in athletics and badminton respectively. Ajmal, a 4x400m relay runner from Palakkad, has represented India internationally. Treesa, from Kannur, is a doubles specialist who won two medals, bronze in women’s doubles and silver in the mixed team, at the Commonwealth Games, becoming the first Malayali athlete to achieve that double. The Arjuna Award selection, announced by the government, covers a four-year performance period. Other recipients include Tejaswin Shankar, Priyanka Goswami, Pullela Gayatri Gopichand, Vidit Santosh Gujrathi, and Lalremsiami. The Dronacharya Award goes to coaches Parveer Singh (athletics), Chhote Lal Yadav (boxing), and Neha Nandkumar Chavan (shooting). The Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar is awarded to the Army Paralympic Node, Pune. The formal award ceremony date is yet to be announced. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Mathrubhumi’s report centres on native pride, highlighting Kerala’s role in producing the two athletes. This is a standard regional media framing that underplays the national selection process and the broader field of 17 awardees. The analysis would be incomplete without noting that Treesa Jolly’s achievement as the first Malayali to win two Commonwealth Games medals is a genuinely remarkable personal milestone, while Muhammed Ajmal’s inclusion reflects the consistent strength of India’s relay programme. The quiet story is the government’s use of such awards for soft diplomacy with states, expect Kerala officials to spotlight this at political events in coming weeks. ## Coverage - english.mathrubhumi.com This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Arjuna Award, Commonwealth Games, Kerala, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Muhammed Ajmal V, Treesa Jolly Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/keralas-ajmal-treesa-jolly-win-arjuna-award-2025/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/keralas-ajmal-treesa-jolly-win-arjuna-award-2025/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/