Paris 2024 Olympics double Olympic medalist Manu Bhaker and world chess champion D Gukesh will be honored with the country’s highest sports honor Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna on January 17.
Apart from Bhaker and Gukesh, Indian men’s hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh and para-athlete Praveen Kumar are the other two nominees for the award.
“The awardees will receive their awards from the President of India at a specially organized ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 17 January 2025 (Friday) at 1100 hours,” the sports department said in a press release.
“Based on the recommendations of the Committee and after due consideration, the Government has decided to give awards to the following players, coaches, universities and the organization,” said a ministry statement.
The 22-year-old Bhaker became the first Indian individual athlete to win two medals in a single Olympics series with his bronze-winning performances in the 10m air pistol team and 10m air pistol mixed team events in August.
In the same Games, Hamranpreet led the Indian hockey team to its second consecutive bronze medal.
18-year-old Gukesh, on the other hand, became the youngest World Champion at the time and helped the Indian team win a historic gold in the Chess Olympiad last year.
The fourth winner will be para high-jumper Praveen, who was crowned T64 champion at the Paris Paralympics. The T64 category is for athletes who have one or both legs below the knee and rely on a prosthetic leg for running.
(According to agency input)
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