D. Gukesh recently created history by winning the Chess World Championship. He is the youngest chess player in the world to achieve this feat. Besides Gukesh, two-time Olympic medallist shooter Manu Bhaker, men’s hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh, and Paralympic gold medal-winning high jumper Praveen Kumar were also conferred with the country’s highest sporting honour.
Manu Bhaker won two Olympic medals at the Paris Olympic Games in August-September. She finished third in the 10m air pistol individual and mixed doubles events. Her two medals contributed to India’s total of 6 medals at the Paris Olympics. Harmanpreet Singh, under whose captaincy the Indian hockey team won a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics 2024 and a gold medal at the Asian Games 2022, was also recognised. He was also awarded the FIH Player of the Year.
Praveen Kumar won a gold medal in the men’s high jump at the Paris Paralympics 2024, breaking the Asian record. He had won a silver medal at the Tokyo Paralympics. Praveen delivered a career-best performance in the T64 event, clearing a height of 2.08 metres and making history.
Among the Arjuna Award recipients were Paris Olympic bronze medallist wrestler Aman Sehrawat, shooters Swapnil Kusale and Sarabjot Singh, and men’s hockey team players Jarmanpreet Singh, Sukhjit Singh, Sanjay, and Abhishek.
This year, the number of para-athletes in the Arjuna Award list exceeded the number of able-bodied athletes, reflecting their outstanding performance at the Paris Paralympics, where they won 29 medals, including 7 gold and 9 silver.
