Hockey player Lalremsiami makes history as first Mizo to win Arjuna award

 Indian women’s hockey international and Olympian Lalremsiami has scripted history by becoming the first sportsperson from Mizoram to be selected for the prestigious Arjuna Award for her outstanding contribution to the game.

The 26-year-old, who is Mizoram’s only female Olympian, was among 17 sportspersons selected for the Arjuna Award 2025 by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports on Tuesday.

Chief Minister Lalduhoma, Sports Minister Lalnghinglova Hmar and other leaders congratulated Lalremsiami, hailing the honour as a landmark achievement for Mizoram and an inspiration for its young sportspersons.

Born in March 2000 into an agrarian family, Lalremsiami originally hailed from Diglangmukh, a remote hamlet in Assam’s Cachar district. Her family moved to Kolasib in Mizoram in 2005, when she was five.

Lalremsiami got the turning point in her life when she met her teachers Lallawmawmi, Lalrampari and Lalrothuami, who spotted her talent and encouraged her to pursue hockey and helped put her on the path to national recognition.

Lalremsiami took up hockey at a young age and joined the state-run academy at Thenzawl, around 91 km from Aizawl, in 2011 when she was 11. She moved to the National Hockey Academy in New Delhi in 2016.

She made her national debut at the Junior Nehru Hockey Tournament in October 2011 and was subsequently selected for India’s Under-18 team for the Asian Cup in December 2016.

In 2017, she received her first call-up to the senior national team, which went on to win the Asia Cup gold medal.

Since then, she has become a mainstay of the Indian team, playing a key role in several major international tournaments, including India’s fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics.

Lalremsiami created another milestone in 2018 when she became the first sportsperson from Mizoram to win a medal at the Asian Games, helping India secure silver.

She also won widespread admiration in 2019 when she chose to remain with her teammates and represent India at the FIH Women’s Series in Japan despite the death of her father, Lalthansanga Zote, in June that year.

India won the series after defeating Japan, securing Olympic qualification.

The achievement made Lalremsiami the first female from Mizoram to take part in the Olympics and also made her state proud to have another Olympian in 25 years after archer C Lalremsanga represented India at the 1992 Barcelona and 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

In 2020, she became the first Indian female hockey player to win the International Hockey Federation’s Women’s Rising Star of the Year award.

For her family, the Arjuna Award selection is a moment of immense pride, while also bringing back emotional memories of Lalremsiami’s late father.

“We were overjoyed when Siami informed us about her selection for the Arjuna Award and told us to thank God. We had never dreamed of such a prestigious award. It is a great achievement for a humble family like ours,” her mother, Lalzarmawii, told PTI.

She said the news also brought back memories of her husband, who died of cardiac arrest in June 2019.

“The memory of her father resurfaced when we heard the news. My husband, when he was alive, had always encouraged Siami that she could do something good for the nation and her state. I wish he had witnessed this auspicious occasion,” Lalzarmawii said.

Congratulating Lalremsiami, the chief minister described the honour as a matter of “great pride and immense joy”, saying her dedication, perseverance and achievements had brought immense pride to Mizoram and Indian hockey.

“This recognition is particularly historic as she is set to become the first Mizo recipient of the Arjuna Award,” Lalduhoma said.

“On behalf of the people of Mizoram, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Lalremsiami on this well-deserved honour. Her achievement is an inspiration to our youth and a proud moment for the entire state,” he added.

Sports Minister Lalnghinglova Hmar also congratulated Lalremsiami on being selected for the Arjuna Award, describing it as a proud moment for both the player and Mizoram.

“Her dedication, hard work and remarkable contribution to Indian hockey have brought immense pride to the state and the nation,” Hmar said.

He described the award as a major milestone in Lalremsiami’s career and wished her continued success in the years ahead.