The annual National Sports Awards are determined by a points system, prioritising achievements at the Olympics and World Championships
GUWAHATI: Double Olympic medallist shooter Manu Bhaker and teenage chess world champion D Gukesh were honoured with the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award by President Droupadi Murmu at the National Sports Awards ceremony.
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Held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, the event took place on Friday, January 17.
Bhaker and Gukesh were also joined by men’s hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh and Paralympic gold-winning high jumper Praveen Kumar as recipients of the country’s highest sporting honour. Harmanpreet played pivotal roles in India’s bronze medal wins at the Tokyo and Paris Olympics, while Praveen upgraded his Tokyo silver medal to gold in Paris.
Bhaker, 22, made history by becoming India's first athlete to win two medals in a single Olympics, securing bronze in the 10m air pistol individual and mixed team events. Meanwhile, Gukesh, 18, recently became the youngest world chess champion, defeating China’s Ding Liren, and is only the second Indian after Viswanathan Anand to achieve this feat.
In addition to the Khel Ratna recipients, 32 athletes were awarded the Arjuna Award, including a record 17 para-athletes.
The annual National Sports Awards are determined by a points system, prioritising achievements at the Olympics and World Championships.
