Hyderabad Shooter Dhanush Srikanth Nominated for Arjuna Award

Hyderabad shooter Dhanush Srikanth has been nominated for the prestigious Arjuna Award following his world-record gold medal performance at the Deaflympics, his family confirmed at his residence in the city on Tuesday.

The 24-year-old shooter learned about the development directly from his mentor and London Olympics bronze medallist Gagan Narang, who called him to convey the announcement.

According to his mother, Asha Srikanth, the family was initially cautious after past discussions regarding documents, but the nomination sank in once Narang confirmed the news. She expressed gratitude to supporters and coaches from Gun For Glory, the training academy established by Narang across India where Dhanush trained from his early days.

Dhanush is currently ranked World No. 1 in the deaf category for shooters. The recognition comes as he prepares to compete in the general category at the senior World Cup in Cairo later this year, alongside his long-term goal of securing a medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The shooter scripted history at the 25th Summer Deaflympics in Tokyo last winter, claiming India's first shooting gold medal in the 10m air rifle event while setting a new world record. After breaking the Deaflympics qualification record, he shot 252.2 in the final to surpass his previous world record of 251.7. His teammate Mohammed Murtaza Vania took silver with 250.1 points.

Following that performance, the Telangana government felicitated Dhanush a couple of months ago and announced a cash incentive of Rs 1.20 crore, which he is currently awaiting.