Who Is Divyakirti Singh? First Indian Female Equestrian To Win Arjuna

Divyakirti Singh made history in India's sports landscape, becoming the only female equestrian to have received the coveted Arjuna Award. The President of India, Droupadi Murmu presented her with the award on January 9 at a grand ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhavan. The 23-year-old from Jaipur was also the sole representative from her State this year. In fact, Singh broke the dry spell that Rajasthan's sportspersons had been facing, becoming the first recipient of the Arjuna Award in the last five years.

Speaking to the media, Singh expressed, “This is a moment of immense pride for the Equestrian sport and our noble companions, the horses, to receive recognition and reward from our Honourable President. It is a humbling experience, and I extend my gratitude to my family and my horses, whose support has been instrumental in helping me achieve this remarkable feat." 

Who Is Divyakirti Singh?

Divyakirti Singh has several reasons to celebrate. Not only did she achieve the Arjuna Award as the sole representative from Rajasthan, but she also became the first equestrian to achieve the Arjuna award in 41 years. Moreover, she became the first sportsperson from all fields to win the Arjuna from Rajasthan in five years.

This is not the first time that Divyakirti Singh has scripted history and made the nation proud. In 2023, she clinched the gold medal in Dressage at the Asian Games 2022 held in Hangzhou China. She achieved an Asian ranking of 1 in March 2023 and a World Ranking of 14, according to the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) dressage world ranking of athletes.

Singh has also won several other accolades including the Sawai Jaipur Award 2023 for Young Achiever in the field of Sport, and a silver and two bronze medals in the International Dressage Competition held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. She has achieved medals and prizes in many junior and senior-level international competitions.

Divyakirti Singh was born in October 1999 and grew up in the regal atmosphere of Jaipur, Rajasthan. She is the daughter of Vikram Singh Rathore and Alka Tej Singh. Singh has an elder brother, Digvijay Singh. Divyakirti Singh has been an equestrian since the age of 12. 

She completed her education at Mayo College Girls School in Ajmer, Rajasthan, a residential school known for producing some of the best equestrian talents. For college, Singh shifted to Delhi to study at Jesus and Mary College under Delhi University.