Manu Bhaker, Gukesh D Among 4 Champion Athletes To Receive Khel Ratna

The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports (MYAS) on Thursday revealed the names of the recipients of the 2024 Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, including India’s twin-Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker and World Chess Champion Gukesh D, captain of the Indian Men’s Hockey team, Harmanpreet Singh, and para-athlete Praveen Kumar.

The awards ceremony will be held at Rashtrapati Bhavan on January 17 at 11 am. The President of India, Draupadi Murmu, will also be present at the event.

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Gukesh D created history by becoming the youngest World Chess Champion at the age of 18 in Singapore in December. Bhaker became the first Indian athlete to win more than one medal at the Olympics when she secured a bronze each in the individual and mixed 10m air pistol events.

Harmanpreet Singh led India to secure a bronze medal in men’s hockey at the Paris Olympics while Praveen Kumar won gold in men’s high jump T64 discipline at the Paris Paralympics. The T64 classification is for athletes with one or both legs missing below the knee, who rely on a prosthetic leg for running.

The Khel Ratna award is the country’s highest sporting honour.

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The announcement comes after a controversy erupted over speculations that Bhaker’s name may have been overlooked.

A controversy erupted soon after the twin medal winner from the Paris Olympics 2024, Manu Bhaker’s name was missing from the shortlisted candidates for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award. Breaking her silence on the matter, the 22-year-old clarified that there has been a “lapse” from her side in filing the form for applying for the award.