Nurjahan Jamani Wins Gujarat’s Sardar Patel Sports Award
Nurjahan Jamani receives Gujarat’s Sardar Patel Sports Award after rise to India No. 1
Ahmedabad, 13 August 2026: Ahmedabad-based para table tennis player Nurjahan Noorali Jamani has received the Sardar Patel Sports Award from the Government of Gujarat, adding a state honour to a year in which she reached the top of India’s rankings in her category.
Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi presented the award at a ceremony in Gandhinagar on August 12. The honour is given by the Sports, Youth and Cultural Activities Department of the Gujarat government.
For Jamani, the award comes after a sharp rise in competitive para table tennis. She is currently ranked India No. 1 and World No. 27 in her category. The Adani Group’s sports arm, Adani Sportsline, lists Jamani among the athletes supported through its Garv Hai programme.
Her progress has been especially notable because she returned to competitive table tennis in 2022 after being away from the sport for more than a decade.
Jamani was diagnosed with polio when she was five. She had competed in para table tennis between 2007 and 2010 before taking a long break. Her return came at a much later stage of her sporting career, but she soon began collecting national and international results.
In 2022, she won a national gold medal, according to the Ahmedabad Racquet Academy’s record of its athletes. The following year, she also won a bronze medal in mixed doubles at the ITTF Egypt Para Open.
Her recent progress has included a change in classification. Jamani had competed in Class 6 before an international medical reclassification moved her to Class 7. At the time, she had been ranked World No. 12 in Class 6. The move meant her world ranking was reset, and she entered a new field of competitors.
She responded with a strong national performance.
At the Ultimate Table Tennis Para Senior Table Tennis National Championship 2025-26 in Indore, Jamani won the Women’s Class 7 title. She defeated Gujarat player Dhwani Shah 3-1 in the final. The result moved Jamani to India No. 1 in the category.
The Table Tennis Federation of India’s ranking record had already placed Jamani first in its 2025-26 mid-term ranking for the women’s Class 6 category, showing how highly she was rated nationally before the later classification change.
Her name also appears in official Khelo India records. She represented Gujarat in the 2025 Khelo India Para Games in women’s Class 6 para table tennis and finished with a silver medal in the event.
The national title and her international results have also kept her in the picture for India’s next major para-sport assignment. The Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games will be held in Japan from October 18 to 24. The event will feature 18 sports and is expected to bring together about 2,400 to 2,700 athletes.
Jamani’s own target is qualification for the Games. A March report following her national title said she was ranked No. 8 in Asia at that point and needed to move into the top six to secure qualification. She was planning to compete in international events in Italy, Spain and other competitions to improve her position.
Her current world ranking of No. 27 is also recorded in the Adani Group’s 2025-26 annual report, which lists Jamani under para table tennis and records her world ranking in the 25-30 range.
Alongside sport, Jamani works as a Junior Officer at Adani Airport Holdings Limited in Ahmedabad. Her support from Adani Sportsline comes through Garv Hai, a programme that the organisation describes as a nationwide athlete development initiative. Its stated support includes financial assistance, coaching and training resources.
Adani Sportsline has continued to include Jamani among the athletes backed through Garv Hai. In April 2026, the organisation named her among the athletes receiving its new Garv Hai jersey, alongside sportspeople including chess player R Praggnanandhaa, cricketer Manisha Gadhia and para athletes Lakshmi Jadala and Ashokkumar Parmar.
Jamani said the Gujarat award has given her another reason to aim higher.
“This recognition from the Government of Gujarat is incredibly special and motivates me to aim even higher. Every milestone strengthens my resolve to represent India with pride. I am grateful to Adani Sportsline and the ‘Garv Hai’ initiative for believing in me and supporting my journey at every step,” said Nurjahan.
Sanjay Adesara, Chief Business Officer, Adani Sportsline, said, “Nurjahan’s journey reflects the determination and resilience that defines champions. We are proud to support her through ‘Garv Hai’ and congratulate her on this well-deserved recognition.”
The award comes at an important point in Jamani’s career. Her next task is to turn her national No. 1 ranking and international standing into a place at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games. For an athlete who returned to competitive sport in 2022 after more than ten years away, the next few months could decide the scale of her next international opportunity.
The state award therefore marks more than another entry on her list of honours. It also places attention on a para table tennis player from Ahmedabad who has moved from national competition to the top of India’s rankings and is now chasing a place on the Asian stage.