Manu Bhaker ‘stutters’ hilariously before going to accept Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna from President Draupadi Murmu, watch viral video
New Delhi: Double Olympic-medallist shooter Manu Bhaker and youngest chess world champion D Gukesh were greeted with a euphoric round of applause as they stepped up to receive the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna from President Droupadi Murmu at the glittering National Sports Awards ceremony in New Delhi on Friday, January 17, 2025.
The other two recipients of the country’s highest sporting honor, the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, were men’s hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh and Paralympic gold-winning high jumper Praveen Kumar. The annual honors were presented at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
Harmanpreet Singh was a key member of the national hockey team that secured bronze medals at both the Tokyo and Paris Olympics. Meanwhile, Praveen Kumar, who was born with a short left leg, upgraded his silver medal from the Tokyo Olympics to a gold in Paris last year.
A total of thirty-two athletes have been honored with the Arjuna Award, with an unprecedented 17 of them being para-athletes. The list of recipients includes the Paris Olympics bronze medal-winning wrestlers Aman Sehrawat, shooters Swapnil Kusale and Sarabjot Singh, and members of the men’s hockey team—Jarmanpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Sanjay, and Abhishek.
This time, para-athletes outnumbered able-bodied athletes among the Arjuna Award winners, thanks to their spectacular performance at the Paris Paralympics, where they brought home 29 medals, including seven golds and nine silvers.
Double medalist at the #ParisOlympics @realmanubhaker receives Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award 2024 from President Droupadi Murmu @rashtrapatibhvn @YASMinistry #NationalSportsAwards2024 pic.twitter.com/CQkXIgYlVr
— PIB India (@PIB_India) January 17, 2025
A historic moment for Indian chess!
Congratulations to GM Gukesh on receiving the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award from Hon’ble President Droupadi Murmu
Your hard work and passion continue to inspire us all—onward and upward @DGukesh
Doordarshan pic.twitter.com/4AMZ8ClZD9
— Chess.com – India (@chesscom_in) January 17, 2025
The 22-year-old Manu Bhaker made history as independent India’s first athlete to win two medals in a single Olympic edition, securing bronze in both the 10m air pistol individual and mixed team events in August.
18-year-old D Gukesh etched his name in history by becoming the youngest-ever chess world champion, defeating China’s Ding Liren last month. He is only the second Indian, after the legendary Viswanathan Anand, to achieve this remarkable feat.
The annual honors are determined through a points system, with the highest emphasis placed on performances at the Olympics and World Championships.