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In a major development, Indian men’s hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh along with para-athlete Praveen Kumar have been nominated for the highest sporting honour of the country, Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award. While ace drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh finds his name after leading India to a bronze medal finish at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Praveen Kumar joins him after clinching a gold at Paralympic Games 2024.
Moreover, the two names came into news after earning recommendation from a 12-member selection committee, which was headed by retired Supreme Court judge, Justice V Ramasubramian. In a notable move, double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker missed a place in the Khel Ratna nominations.
In 2020, Manu Bhaker, who shone at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, was honoured with the Ajuna award. In 2024 at the quadrennial Games, Bhaker created history as she secured back-to-back bronze medals, becoming first Indian shooter to clinch two Olympic medals in a single edition.
Committee recommends 30 sportspersons for Arjuna award
The committee, headed by retired Supreme Court judge, Justice V Ramasubramian, have additionally recommended the names of a total 30 sportspersons for the Arjuna award. The list includes 13 able-bodied sportspersons along with 17 para-athletes. Men’s 57kg freestyle wrestler Aman Sehrawat is one of the prominent names to be included in the list after he won a bronze at Paris Games. He is joined by five hockey players and two shooters in Swapnil Kusale and Sarabjot Singh.
Among the para-athletes, the recommendations for Arjuna award includes, Navdeep Singh, Dharambir, Ajeet Singh, Sachin Khilari, Pranav Soorma, Preeti Pal, Simran, Hokato Hotozhe Sema, Deepthi Jeevanji, Nitesh Kumar, Manisha Ramdas, Thulasimathi Murugesan, Nithya Sivan, Mona Aggarwal, Rubina Francis, Kapil Parma and Rakesh Kumar.
