On January 17, 2025, the prestigious National Sports Awards were presented by President Droupadi Murmu in a glittering ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi. The awards, including the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna and the Arjuna Awards, recognized the remarkable achievements of India’s sporting champions. Among the honored were double Olympic-medalist shooter Manu Bhaker, chess prodigy and youngest world champion D. Gukesh, men’s hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh, and Paralympic gold-medalist high jumper Praveen Kumar. The event also highlighted the significant contribution of India’s para-athletes, who had a spectacular performance at the Paris Paralympics, bringing home 29 medals, including 7 golds and 9 silvers. The ceremony not only celebrated the athletes’ achievements but also recognized the coaches and institutions that have contributed to their success.
Key Highlights of the Ceremony
Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Awards: India’s highest sporting honor.
- Manu Bhaker (Shooting): Double Olympic medallist, awarded for her exceptional achievements in shooting.
- D. Gukesh (Chess): Youngest World Chess Champion, becoming the second Indian after Viswanathan Anand to achieve this feat.
- Harmanpreet Singh (Hockey): Men’s hockey team captain, a part of teams that won Olympic bronze medals in Tokyo and Paris.
- Praveen Kumar (Para-Athletics): Paralympic gold-winning high jumper, recognized for his remarkable achievements in para-athletics.
Arjuna Awards Recipients
Awarded to 32 athletes, with a significant representation of 17 para-athletes due to India’s remarkable performance in the Paris Paralympics, where the country won 29 medals.
1. Athletics
- Jyothi Yarraji – Track and Field (Hurdles)
- Annu Rani – Javelin Throw
- Rakesh Kumar (Para-Athletics) – High Jump (Para-Sports)
- Preeti Pal (Para-Athletics) – Sprint (Para-Sports)
- Jeevanji Deepthi (Para-Athletics) – Long Jump (Para-Sports)
- Ajeet Singh (Para-Athletics) – High Jump (Para-Sports)
- Sachin Sarjerao Khilari (Para-Athletics) – Sprint (Para-Sports)
- Dharambir (Para-Athletics) – Sprint (Para-Sports)
- Pranav Soorma (Para-Athletics) – Sprint (Para-Sports)
- H Hokato Sema (Para-Athletics) – Sprint (Para-Sports)
2. Boxing
- Nitu – Boxing (Women’s Flyweight)
- Saweety – Boxing (Women’s Light-Heavyweight)
3. Chess
- Vantika Agrawal – Chess (Women’s Chess Grandmaster)
4. Hockey
- Salima Tete – Field Hockey (Midfielder, Women’s Hockey Team)
- Abhishek – Field Hockey (Defender, Men’s Hockey Team)
- Sanjay – Field Hockey (Midfielder, Men’s Hockey Team)
- Jarmanpreet Singh – Field Hockey (Defender, Men’s Hockey Team)
- Sukhjeet Singh – Field Hockey (Midfielder, Men’s Hockey Team)
5. Para-Sports
- Rakesh Kumar (Para-Archery) – Archery (Para-Sports)
- Nitesh Kumar (Para-Badminton) – Badminton (Para-Sports)
- Thulasimathi Murugesan (Para-Badminton) – Badminton (Para-Sports)
- Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan (Para-Badminton) – Badminton (Para-Sports)
- Manisha Ramadass (Para-Badminton) – Badminton (Para-Sports)
- Kapil Parmar (Para-Judo) – Judo (Para-Sports)
- Mona Agarwal (Para-Shooting) – Shooting (Para-Sports)
- Rubina Francis (Para-Shooting) – Shooting (Para-Sports)
6. Shooting
- Swapnil Suresh Kusale – Shooting (Men’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions)
- Sarabjot Singh – Shooting (Men’s 10m Air Pistol)
7. Squash
- Abhay Singh – Squash (Men’s Singles)
8. Swimming
- Sajan Prakash – Swimming (Men’s Butterfly)
9. Wrestling
- Aman – Wrestling (Men’s Freestyle)
Lifetime Arjuna Award
- Murlikant Rajaram Petkar, India’s first Paralympic gold-medallist in swimming, received a Lifetime Achievement award.
Dronacharya Award
- Recognizing coaches for their excellence in mentoring athletes.
- Deepali Deshpande (Shooting coach) and Armando Agnelo Colaco (Football) were prominent winners.
Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar
- Awarded to the Physical Education Foundation of India for promoting sports.
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy
- Awarded to the top-performing universities in the Khelo India University Games.
- Chandigarh University, Lovely Professional University, and Guru Nanak Dev University.
Special Moments
- A particularly heartwarming moment was when Murlikant Petkar, the 80-year-old war hero and Paralympic gold medallist, received a lifetime Arjuna Award.
- Pranav Soorma, a wheelchair-bound athlete, was personally received by President Murmu.
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