Manu Bhaker wins Khel Ratna as Sports Ministry bows down, D Gukesh and Harmanpreet Singh also bag top honour

Shooter Manu Bhaker, chess champion D. Gukesh, hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh and para-athlete Praveen Kumar have won the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna.

Double Olympic medal-winning shooter Manu Bhaker has been awarded the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna along with hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh, newly crowned world chess champion D. Gukesh and para-high jumper Praveen Kumar, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) announced on Thursday. Manu had initially been left out of the lift of athletes in the running to win the Khel Ratna due to error in applying for the award.

However, after tremendous uproar from all quarters, including Manu Bhaker’s father Ram Kishan Bhaker, on social media the Sports Ministry have bowed down and awarded India’s highest sporting honour to the Indian shooter who won two medals at the Paris Olympics 2024.

The National Sports Awards distribution will take place at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on January 17, the MYAS release stated.

(More to come)