Hockey forward Lalremsiami Hmarzote has been named a recipient of the Arjuna Award 2025, becoming the first sportsperson in Mizoram's history to receive the honour — India's second-highest sporting recognition after the Khel Ratna. The announcement, made by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, places the 26-year-old Indian women's hockey team forward alongside 16 other athletes who will be honoured at a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan, conferred by the President of India.
For Mizoram, a state that has produced footballers and boxers of national repute but has rarely broken into hockey's spotlight, the award is being treated as a landmark moment. Lalremsiami is also the state's only woman Olympian, having represented India at the Tokyo 2020 Games — a distinction that already made her a symbol of the state's sporting ambition well before this latest honour.
Background
Lalremsiami's story begins far from Mizoram. She was born in March 2000 in Diglangmukh, a remote hamlet in Assam's Cachar district, into an agrarian family. Her family relocated to Kolasib in Mizoram in 2005, when she was just five years old. It was in this new home that her association with hockey began.
At age 11, in 2011, she joined the state-run hockey academy at Thenzawl, roughly 91 km from Aizawl — one of the few institutions in the state offering structured hockey coaching at the time. Her talent was evident early, and by 2016 she had moved to the National Hockey Academy in New Delhi to train at the national level, a transition that placed her on the path to international hockey within a year.
She made her senior international debut for India in a test series against Belarus in 2017, and has remained a fixture in the national women's setup ever since — an unusually long and consistent international career for a player who grew up without dedicated hockey infrastructure in her home state.
Key Details
The Arjuna Award 2025 list, announced by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, includes 17 athletes spanning multiple disciplines. Alongside Lalremsiami in hockey is Rajkumar Pal, a men's team midfielder. The full list of awardees spans:
- Athletics: Tejaswin Shankar, Muhammed Ajmal V, and Priyanka Goswami
- Badminton: Treesa Jolly and Pullela Gayatri Gopichand
- Chess: Vidit Santosh Gujarathi and Divya Jitendra Deshmukh
- Hockey: Lalremsiami and Rajkumar Pal
- Boxing: Narender
- Kabaddi: Surjeet and Pooja
- Shooting: Akhil Sheoran and Dhanush Srikanth
- Para-sports: Rudransh Khandelwal (para-shooting) and Ekta Bhyan (para-athletics)
Hockey India president Dr Dilip Tirkey welcomed the recognition, saying: "It is a proud moment for Indian hockey to see Lalremsiami and Rajkumar Pal conferred with the Arjuna Award. Both have shown tremendous dedication and consistency in representing the country over the years, and this recognition is a fitting tribute to their hard work and commitment. On behalf of Hockey India, I congratulate them and wish them continued success in the seasons ahead."
Lalremsiami's playing record over roughly a decade in the senior team includes a silver medal at the 2018 Asian Games, a bronze at the 2022 Asian Games, gold at the Asian Champions Trophy in both 2023 and 2024, and a gold-medal-winning run in the 2017 Women's Asia Cup. She was also part of India's fourth-place finish at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics — the best result recorded by the Indian women's hockey team at an Olympic Games in over four decades. Earlier in her career, she was named the FIH Rising Star of the Year in 2019, an early signal of the sustained international impact that has now culminated in the Arjuna Award.
At a Glance
| Milestone | Year | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Joined Thenzawl hockey academy | 2011 | Age 11, roughly 91 km from Aizawl |
| Moved to National Hockey Academy, Delhi | 2016 | Transition to national-level training |
| Senior India debut | 2017 | Test series vs Belarus |
| FIH Rising Star of the Year | 2019 | First major individual honour |
| Asian Games silver | 2018 | Team medal |
| Tokyo Olympics, 4th place | 2020 | Best-ever Olympic finish for Indian women's hockey |
| Asian Games bronze | 2022 | Team medal |
| Asian Champions Trophy gold | 2023 & 2024 | Back-to-back titles |
| FIH Women's Nations Cup title, Player of the Match | 2026 | India beat hosts New Zealand 2-0 in Auckland final |
| Arjuna Award 2025 | Announced Aug 2026 | First for any Mizoram sportsperson |
Local Impact
In Mizoram, where hockey has historically taken a back seat to football, the award is being read as validation for a small but committed coaching ecosystem centred on the Thenzawl academy. Local sporting bodies and student unions have publicly congratulated Lalremsiami, framing her rise as proof that world-class athletes can emerge from the state's academies despite chronic resource constraints.
That constraint is not incidental to the story — it is central to it. Lalremsiami herself has been candid about the state of hockey infrastructure back home, telling reporters: "We only have three hockey grounds, and they are located far away. Many children who aspire to play hockey, give up due to lack of infrastructure." Her remarks point to a recurring pattern across India's hockey-playing pockets in the Northeast and tribal belts: individual brilliance emerging in spite of, rather than because of, the facilities available. For young girls in Kolasib and surrounding districts, her Arjuna Award is likely to renew local demand for better grounds, turf facilities, and structured junior coaching — the same infrastructure gaps she has flagged in interviews for years.
What Happens Next
The Arjuna Award ceremony is expected to be held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, with the President of India conferring the honours on all 17 awardees, including Lalremsiami and Rajkumar Pal. Hockey India has indicated the recognition will be marked as part of its broader push to celebrate players from underrepresented regions.
On the field, Lalremsiami is expected to continue as a key forward for the Indian women's team, which is set to make its eighth appearance at the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 — following on from India's FIH Women's Nations Cup title win in Auckland earlier this year, a final in which Lalremsiami was named Player of the Match as India beat hosts New Zealand 2-0. Mizoram's sporting authorities are expected to face renewed calls, prompted by her own public comments, to invest in additional hockey grounds and academy capacity so the state's next hockey talent has an easier path than she did.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Lalremsiami?
Lalremsiami Hmarzote is a forward on the Indian women's national hockey team, born in Assam's Cachar district and raised in Kolasib, Mizoram. She has represented India since 2017 and is Mizoram's only woman Olympian.
What is the Arjuna Award?
The Arjuna Award is one of India's highest sporting honours, given by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports for excellence in a chosen sport over a sustained period, and is conferred by the President of India.
Why is this award significant for Mizoram?
Lalremsiami is the first sportsperson from Mizoram ever to receive the Arjuna Award, making it a landmark recognition for the state's sporting history, particularly in a discipline — field hockey — with limited existing infrastructure there.
What are Lalremsiami's biggest career achievements?
She was part of India's fourth-place finish at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (the country's best Olympic hockey result in decades), Asian Games silver (2018) and bronze (2022), Asian Champions Trophy golds (2023, 2024), and was Player of the Match in India's 2026 FIH Women's Nations Cup final win over New Zealand.
Who else received the Arjuna Award 2025 alongside Lalremsiami?
A total of 17 athletes were named, including hockey's Rajkumar Pal, athletics' Tejaswin Shankar, badminton's Treesa Jolly, chess players Vidit Gujarathi and Divya Deshmukh, boxer Narender, kabaddi players Surjeet and Pooja, shooters Akhil Sheoran and Dhanush Srikanth, and para-athletes Rudransh Khandelwal and Ekta Bhyan.
What infrastructure challenges does hockey face in Mizoram?
According to Lalremsiami, Mizoram has only three hockey grounds, all located far from many population centres, which she says causes aspiring young players to give up on the sport before they can develop.
Where did Lalremsiami train before joining the national team?
She trained at the state-run hockey academy in Thenzawl, about 91 km from Aizawl, before moving to the National Hockey Academy in New Delhi in 2016.
What did Hockey India say about her award?
Hockey India president Dr Dilip Tirkey called it "a proud moment for Indian hockey," praising her "tremendous dedication and consistency" over her career.
Sources
Hockey India press statements; ANI/IANS wire coverage; The Print; Assam Tribune; RevSportz; Northeast Live TV; The Logical Indian; Olympics.com athlete profile; Wikipedia (Lalremsiami Hmarzote).