At 22 years old, Manu Bhaker is a household name in Indian sports. At the Paris Olympics 2024, she became the first Indian to win two Olympic medals in a single edition, securing bronze in both the 10m air pistol individual and mixed team events.
At just 21, Praveen secured a gold medal in the T64 high jump event at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. He was India's youngest para-athlete to win a medal at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics along with gold medal at the Asian Para Games.
Para shooter Manish Narwal received the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2021. The lad from Haryana secured the gold medal in the Mixed 50m Air Pistol SH1 event at the Tokyo Paralympics 2020. He clinched the silver medal at the Paris Paralympics 2024 in the 10 m air pistol SH1 event.
The para-shooter from Rajasthan received the Khel Ratna award in 2021. Avani created history at the Tokyo Paralympics, winning gold in the 10m air rifle SH1 event and bronze in the 50m rifle 3 positions SH1 event, becoming the first Indian female Paralympian to win two medals.
Weightlifter Karnam Malleswari became the first female athlete to be awarded the Khel Ratna Award in 1995. Karnam was the first Indian female sportsperson to win an Olympic medal (bronze medal in the 69kg category at the Sydney Olympics).
Abhinav Bindra, who was India’s first individual Olympic gold medalist in the Men’s 10m Air Rifle event at the Beijing Olympics 2008, was awarded the Khel Ratna Award in 2001. He then won a bronze, at the 2001 Munich World Cup with a new junior world record score.
At the age of 18 years, 7 months, and 20 days, Grandmaster D Gukesh overtook Bindra to become the youngest recipient of the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. He was recently crowned as the World Chess Championship 2024 after beating China's Ling Diren.
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