Manu Bhaker, D. Gukesh, Harmanpreet Singh, Praveen Kumar awarded Khel Ratna at National Sports Awards

Double Olympic-medalist shooter Manu Bhaker and teenage chess sensation D. Gukesh received a standing ovation at the National Sports Awards ceremony on Friday as they were honored with the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award by President Droupadi Murmu.

#WATCH | President Droupadi Murmu presents National Sports and Adventure Awards 2024 at Rashtrapati Bhavan

(Source: President of India's Twitter handle) pic.twitter.com/3N9hxJ7p43

— ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2025

#NationalSportsAwards2024 :

President Droupadi Murmu confers Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award 2024 to Pistol shooter Manu Bhaker. @realmanubhaker @YASMinistry @IndiaSports @mansukhmandviya @khadseraksha @Media_SAI @AshwiniVaishnaw @Murugan_MoS @MinistryWCD… pic.twitter.com/1rNa1XxDa7

— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) January 17, 2025

Along with Bhaker and Gukesh, the other recipients of India's highest sporting honor included men’s hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh and Paralympic gold medalist high jumper Praveen Kumar. Harmanpreet played crucial roles in securing bronze medals for India at both the Tokyo and Paris Olympics, while Praveen Kumar upgraded his Tokyo silver to a gold medal in Paris. Born with a short left leg, Praveen's achievement at the Paralympics was a remarkable feat.

🏆#NationalSportsAwards🏆

Men’s Hockey Team Captain Harmanpreet Singh (@13harmanpreet) receives the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award 2024 from President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan@rashtrapatibhvn @YASMinistry #NationalSportsAwards2024 pic.twitter.com/5j4X13ffE2

— PIB India (@PIB_India) January 17, 2025

President Droupadi Murmu confers Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award 2024 to Para-Athlete Praveen Kumar.@rashtrapatibhvn @Media_SAI @MIB_India @PIB_India @YASMinistry @IndiaSports #NationalSportsAwards2024 #IndianSports #SportsExcellence #SportsHeroes pic.twitter.com/cKk1UwyHz1

— Doordarshan National दूरदर्शन नेशनल (@DDNational) January 17, 2025

The Arjuna Award, given to 32 athletes this year, included an unprecedented 17 para-athletes. Some notable recipients were wrestlers Aman Sehrawat (Paris Olympics bronze), shooters Swapnil Kusale and Sarabjot Singh, and members of the men’s hockey team, including Jarmanpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Sanjay, and Abhishek.

The overwhelming number of para-athletes among the Arjuna awardees reflects India’s stellar performance at the Paris Paralympics, where the country clinched 29 medals, including seven golds and nine silvers.

Manu Bhaker, at 22, became the first athlete from independent India to win two medals in a single Olympic edition, securing bronze in both the 10m air pistol individual and mixed team events at the Tokyo Olympics. At 18, D. Gukesh achieved history by becoming the youngest-ever chess world champion, defeating China’s Ding Liren. He is only the second Indian after Viswanathan Anand to hold this title.

The honors are based on a points system, emphasizing Olympic and World Championship performances.