Para-athletes take centre stage at awards ceremony

New Delhi, PTI: Manu Bhaker and D Gukesh provided a sprinkling of stardust but it was India's perseverant para-athletes who walked away with the most boisterous applause when President Droupadi Murmu bestowed the National Sports Awards in a regal ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here on Friday. Double Olympic-medallist Bhaker, 18-year-old chess world champion Gukesh, men's hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh and Paralympic gold-winning high jumper Praveen Kumar were presented the country's highest sporting honour the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna.

The 22-year-old Bhaker became independent India's first athlete to win two medals in a single edition of the Olympics with her bronze-winning show in the 10m air pistol individual and 10m air pistol mixed team events in August last year. "Slow and steady wins the race, and I firmly believe that. Khel Ratna is one of the most prestigious awards in our country. I am grateful to everyone who supported me," Bhaker told PTI Videos after the ceremony. Harmanpreet was a part of the national sides that won bronze medals in the Tokyo as well as Paris Olympics. Praveen, on the other hand, upgraded his silver at the Japanese capital to a gold in Paris. He was born with a short left leg. The 18-year-old Gukesh was crowned the youngest ever chess world champion after he beat China's Ding Liren last month. He is only the second Indian after the great Viswanathan Anand to achieve this title. He was a crucial factor in India winning the men's gold in the Chess Olympiad in September last.

Thirty-two athletes were honoured with the Arjuna Award out of which an unprecedented 17 were para-athletes. The athletes selected for the Arjuna award included Paris Olympics bronze medal-winning group of wrestler Aman Sehrawat, shooters Swapnil Kusale and Sarabjot Singh (Bhaker's partner in the 10m air pistol mixed competition of Olympics) and the men's hockey team players Jarmanpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Sanjay and Abhishek. The para-athletes outnumbered the able-bodied ones in the list this time due to the magnificent Paris Paralympics performance in which they returned with 29 medals.