Manu Bhaker Not In Khel Ratna Race: Did Paris Olympics Hero Apply? Conflicting Reports Emerge

Paris Olympics double medallist shooter Manu Bhaker has reportedly not been nominated for the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award for 2024. Bhaker is the first Indian athlete post-Independence to win two medals in the same edition of the Olympic Games. (More Sports News)

Indian men's hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh and para athlete Praveen Kumar have been recommended for the Khel Ratna, according to a Times of India report. While Harmanpreet led India to a second successive hockey bronze medal at the Olympics, Praveen bagged gold at the Paris Paralympics in the men's high jump T64 class with an Asian record to boot.

A 12-member selection panel, headed by retired Supreme Court judge, Justice V Ramasubramanian has made the decisions as per the report. Sports ministry officials said that Bhaker didn't apply for the award, the report adds, stating that sources close to the shooter's family claimed that she had sent in her application.

India seamer Mohammed Shami had not applied for the Arjuna award last year but it was still conferred on him post the Board of Control for Cricket in India's insistence, which led to the National Sports Day awards committee taking suo moto cognizance. Thus, even if Bhaker had not applied for the Khel Ratna, the selection panel could have taken suo moto cognizance of her unprecedented feats at Paris and before that.

The 22-year-old Bhaker was honoured with the Arjuna award in 2020. She is the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal in shooting, and fourth from the country to win multiple medals at the Olympics after Norman Pritchard (athletics), Sushil Kumar (wrestling) and PV Sindhu (badminton).

Soon after her Paris 2024 exploits, Bhaker was trolled on social media for an alleged tweet asking for the Khel Ratna from the government. She had purportedly posted on X (formerly Twitter): ‘Tell me, Do I deserve the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award. Thanks'. The post was said to be deleted later.

Meanwhile, the TOI report added that the awards committee also recommended the names of 30 sportspersons for the Arjuna award. These include 17 para athletes. Paris 2024 bronze medallist wrestler Aman Sehrawat, and shooters Swapnil Kusale, Sarabjot are among those to be nominated as per the report.