Paralympic gold medalist Praveen Kumar and men’s hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh will also get the esteemed honor.
On Thursday, the Sports Ministry announced the four athletes who will get the Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award: chess world champion D Gukesh and shooter Manu Bhaker, who has won two Olympic medals. Praveen Kumar, the Paralympic gold medallist, and Harmanpreet Singh, the men’s hockey captain, will also get the noteworthy honor. For athletes in India, the Khel Ratna is the greatest sporting honor. Additionally, the sports ministry selected 32 athletes for the Arjuna awards, including 17 para-athletes. According to several news reports, Manu’s name was not on the list of athletes suggested for Khel Ratna, which recently caused a big uproar. Coach Jaspal Rana and Manu’s father Ram Kishan were incensed by the rejection. Manu Bhaker acknowledged that she might have made a mistake while submitting her nomination application, though.
Regarding the ongoing controversy surrounding my candidacy for the most coveted Khel Ratna award, I would want to stress that it is my responsibility as an athlete to represent my nation. Recognition and awards keep me going, but they are not my objective. I think something went wrong, possibly my fault when I submitted the nomination, and it’s being fixed. I’ll be inspired to earn more medals for my nation regardless of the honor. Please refrain from speculating on this issue, everyone. In an X post, Manu Bhaker wrote.
In August, Bhaker, 22, won bronze in the 10m air pistol individual and 10m air pistol mixed team events, making her the first athlete from independent India to win two medals in a single Olympic edition.
The Indian hockey team won its second straight bronze medal under Harmanpreet’s leadership during the same Games.Last year, however, the 18-year-old Gukesh helped the Indian team win a historic gold in the Chess Olympiad and became the youngest-ever World champion.
Praveen, the para high-jumper who won the T64 title at the Paris Paralympics, will be the fourth laureate. The T64 classification is for runners who use a prosthetic leg because one or both of their legs are lost below the knee.
“The President of India will present the awardees with their awards at a specially planned event at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday, January 17, 2025, at 1100 hours,” the sports ministry stated in a press statement.
