Aizawl, Aug 19: 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.

For her family, the Arjuna Award selection is a moment of immense pride. " 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 the newswire.

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. Congratulating Lalremsiami, Lalduhoma 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. 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.

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.