Thu Jan 02 09:33:14 UTC 2025: ## India’s Sporting Stars Awarded Highest Honour
**New Delhi, January 2, 2025** – Four prominent Indian athletes have been selected as recipients of the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, India’s highest sporting honour. The awardees, announced Thursday, are shooter Manu Bhaker, chess grandmaster D. Gukesh, hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh, and para-athlete Praveen Kumar.
Manu Bhaker, at 22, achieved a historic feat by becoming the first Indian athlete to win two Olympic medals in a single edition – bronze in both the 10m air pistol individual and mixed team events. Harmanpreet Singh led the men’s hockey team to their second consecutive Olympic bronze medal. Eighteen-year-old D. Gukesh made history as the youngest-ever World Chess Champion and contributed to India’s gold medal win at the Chess Olympiad. Finally, Praveen Kumar, a para-high jumper, secured the T64 gold medal at the Paris Paralympics.
The awards ceremony will be held at Rashtrapati Bhavan on January 17th, 2025, at 11:00 AM, where the President of India will present the awards.
First Piper 