Krishna Poonia

• Arjuna Award: She received the Arjuna Award in 2010, India's second-highest sporting honor. • Padma Shri: The Government of India awarded her the Padma Shri in 2011, the fourth-highest civilian award. • Rajasthan Awards: She has also been recognized with awards from the Government of Rajasthan an

Krishna Poonia is a highly decorated Indian discus thrower, a former Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Rajasthan, and the former President of the Rajastha n State Sports Council. 

Sports career

• Gold Medal at Commonwealth Games: Poonia made history at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, becoming the first Indian woman athlete to win a gold medal in a track and field event. Her win was part of a historic clean sweep of medals for India in the women's discus event.
• Olympic Competitor: She represented India at the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympic Games. In London, she reached the finals and finished in a respectable seventh position.
• National Record: Poonia set a national record in 2012 with a personal best discus throw of 64.76 meters at an event in Hawaii.
• Medals at Asian Games: She has also won bronze medals at the Asian Games in both 2006 (Doha) and 2010 (Guangzhou). 

Political career

• Joins Congress: In 2013, Poonia retired from her job with the Indian Railways to join the Indian National Congress.
• Elected as MLA: She successfully contested and won the Sadulpur Assembly constituency in Rajasthan in the 2018 state elections. However, she lost the seat in the 2023 elections.
• Lok Sabha Candidacy: In 2019, she was nominated by the Congress for the Lok Sabha elections from the Jaipur Rural constituency but lost to fellow Olympian Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore.
• Social Activism: While in politics, Poonia has advocated against female foeticide and worked to improve sports infrastructure for children in Rajasthan. 

Awards and recognition

• Arjuna Award: She received the Arjuna Award in 2010, India's second-highest sporting honor.
• Padma Shri: The Government of India awarded her the Padma Shri in 2011, the fourth-highest civilian award.
• Rajasthan Awards: She has also been recognized with awards from the Government of Rajasthan and the former royal family of Jaipur.