New Delhi, January 2 – Indian athletes Manu Bhaker, D Gukesh, Harmanpreet Singh, and Praveen Kumar have been honored with the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award for 2025. Meanwhile, a record-breaking 32 athletes, including 17 para-athletes, have been selected for the Arjuna Awards.
The awards will be presented by President Droupadi Murmu at a special ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan on January 17, 2025.
Khel Ratna Awardees
Manu Bhaker, a double Olympic medalist shooter, made history as the first athlete from independent India to win two medals in a single Olympic Games. She secured bronze in the 10m air pistol individual and mixed team events at the Paris Olympics.
Chess World Champion D Gukesh, 18, became the youngest-ever to claim the title and was instrumental in India’s historic gold medal win at the Chess Olympiad.
Indian men's hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh led the team to a consecutive Olympic medal in Paris, showcasing exceptional leadership and skill.
Para high jumper Praveen Kumar clinched gold in the T64 category at the Paris Paralympics. This category includes athletes who rely on prosthetic limbs due to the loss of one or both legs below the knee.
Arjuna Award Highlights
Among the 32 Arjuna awardees are several prominent athletes, including Paris Olympic bronze medalist wrestler Aman Sehrawat, shooters Swapnil Kusale and Sarabjot Singh, and Indian hockey players Jarmanpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Sanjay, and Abhishek.
The para-athletes dominated the list, with 17 selections. Key winners include Dharambir (club throw), Navdeep Singh (javelin throw), and Nitesh Kumar (para-badminton), all gold medalists at the Paris Paralympics. Bronze medalists Rakesh Kumar (para archery), Mona Agarwal, and Rubina Francis (para shooting) were also recognized.
Other Honors
Dronacharya Award: Deepali Deshpande, coach of Olympic bronze medalist Swapnil Kusale, was named for her outstanding contributions. In the lifetime category, football manager Armando Colaco and badminton coach S Muralidharan were honored.
Lifetime Arjuna Award: Paralympian Murlikant Petkar, India’s first Paralympic gold medalist, received the award. Petkar won gold in the 50m freestyle swimming event at the 1972 Paralympics and recently became the subject of the biographical film Chandu Champion.
Award Details
Khel Ratna recipients are awarded a medal, a citation, and ₹25 lakh, while Arjuna Awardees receive ₹15 lakh, a citation, and a bronze statuette of Arjuna.
This year’s honors underscore India’s growing prowess in Olympic and Paralympic sports, celebrating athletes who have achieved excellence on the global stage.
