Manu Bhaker, Harmanpreet Singh, Praveen Kumar awarded Khel Ratna; Arjuna Award for 3 TN para-athletes

CHENNAI: Eighteen-year-old world chess champion D Gukesh from Chennai is all set to become the youngest recipient of the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. Others awarded Khel Ratna by the Ministry of Sports on Thursday are Paris Olympics and Paralympics medallists Manu Bhaker, Harmanpreet Singh and Praveen Kumar, all of whom had a memorable 2024 outing.

Gukesh's achievement breaks the record currently held by 2008 Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra, who was 30 days shy of 19 when he was awarded Khel Ratna.

Gukesh's victory over Ding Liren at the World Chess Championship is still fresh in the minds of many. The Chennai lad held his nerve, taking advantage of an error made by the Chinese player to exploit his advantage in the final rounds, claiming the top prize and becoming the youngest world chess champion ever. He also helped the Indian team win the Chess Olympiad gold, scoring 9 points from 10 games and earning individual gold on the top board.

Manu Bhaker made history at the Paris Olympics last year when she became the first Indian athlete to win two medals in a single edition of the Olympics, earning bronze in both the 10m air pistol individual and mixed event.

Indian hockey saw a revival under the captaincy of star drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh, who led the team to a gold medal at the Asian Games in Hangzhou and a bronze at the Paris Olympics.

Harmanpreet was the top scorer at the 2024 Olympics and also India's leading scorer at the Asian Games. Though India missed out on gold at the Summer Olympics, para-athlete Praveen Kumar made up for it by securing gold at the Paris Paralympics in the men’s high jump T64 event, setting a new Asian record with a jump of 2.07 metres.

Arjuna award for 3 TN para-athletes:

Tamil Nadu's para-badminton star Thulasimathi Murugesan was conferred the Arjuna Award along with her compatriots Manisha Ramadass and Nithya Sre Sivan.

Thulasimathi, who is currently in her third year of studies, was in the classroom when the awards announcement was made on Thursday. "I was in class and didn’t know about it until an hour later. My phone was flooded with messages and calls. I immediately called my dad, and I’d like to dedicate this award to him," Thulasimathi told DT Next.

The 22-year-old made history by becoming the first Indian woman to win silver in badminton singles at the Paralympics last year. She had also won gold in singles and silver in doubles at the Asian Games.

Another rising star, Nithya Sre Sivan, said there was no better way to start the New Year. "I’ve seen people I’ve played with receive this award, and it’s a dream come true for me. I’ve always wanted to make my family proud, and to see my hard work being recognised is very fulfilling," Nithya Sre told DT Next.

For Nithya Sre, who began playing the sport in 2021, the success is overwhelming.

She won a bronze in the women’s singles SH-6 event at the Paris Paralympics.

ARJUNA AWARDEES FROM TN

*Abhay Singh - Squash

*Thulasimathi Murugesan - Para-Badminton

*Nithya Sre Sivan - Para-Badminton

*Manisha Ramadass - Para-Badminton