Manu Bhaker, D Gukesh shine as they receive Khel Ratna from President Murmu
Xtra Time Web Desk: Double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker and world chess champion D. Gukesh were conferred with the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna awards by President Droupadi Murmu at a grand ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. The event marked a momentous occasion as the star athletes received a warm reception from the audience present at the National Sports Day ceremony.
In addition to Bhaker and Gukesh, India men's hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh and Praveen Kumar, gold medallist in high jump at the Paris Paralympics, were also honored with the Khel Ratna award.
Manu Bhaker made history at the Paris Olympics by winning two bronze medals, becoming the first athlete from independent India to secure more than one individual medal in a single edition of the Games. Overcoming a disappointing performance at her previous Olympics, Bhaker bounced back to achieve this landmark feat.
President #DroupadiMurmu presents the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award to shooter @realmanubhaker at the National Sports Awards 2024. #Shooting #NationalSportsAwards @Media_SAI @IndiaSports pic.twitter.com/OruucHTX3p
— DD News (@DDNewslive) January 17, 2025
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D. Gukesh, at just 19, became the youngest man to win the World Chess Championship after defeating Ding Liren in the World Championship match in Singapore. His victory made him the second Indian after Viswanathan Anand to win the prestigious title.
President #DroupadiMurmu presents the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award to the Youngest world chess champion @DGukesh at the National Sports and Adventure Awards 2024 at Rashtrapati Bhavan.#Chess #ChessOlympiad #NationalSportsAwards @Media_SAI @IndiaSports pic.twitter.com/YqNeAsX9EG
— DD News (@DDNewslive) January 17, 2025
A total of 32 athletes were presented with the Arjuna Award, India's second-highest sporting honor. This year, para-athletes outnumbered able-bodied athletes for the first time, following their stellar performance at the Paris Paralympics, where India finished 18th on the medal table with 29 medals, including seven golds.
Olympic medalists Sarabjot Singh and Swapnil Kusale were also among the Arjuna Award recipients.
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The lead-up to the National Sports Day was marked by controversy, as Manu Bhaker was initially omitted from the preliminary list of nominees. Her father and coach, Jaspal Rana, expressed dissatisfaction, while Manu's father, Ram Kishan Bhaker, lamented that he should have made his daughter a cricketer instead of a shooter. Manu Bhaker, however, downplayed the incident, attributing it to a possible oversight in her nomination process. She emphasized that her primary focus has always been to perform for the country, and the award was not the driving force behind her sporting journey.
“I believe there has been a lapse, possibly on my part, while filing for the nomination, which is being corrected,” Manu wrote on Instagram, highlighting her commitment to the sport and the nation.
