The happy faces in blazers stood out from the buzz of constant chatter after being conferred the Khel Ratna and Arjuna awards but resolute, nonetheless, to raise their performance by several notches in the upcoming tournaments.

As many as 19 sportspersons were conferred with Arjuna Awards by President Pratibha Patil at Rashtrapati Bhavan, a breakaway from the usual 15 in a calendar year, for their outstanding performance in 2010 Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.