Paris Olympics double medallist shooter Manu Bhaker has reportedly not been nominated for the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Awards for 2024. According to a ToI report, Harmanpreet Singh, the Indian men¡¯s hockey team captain, and para-athlete Praveen Kumar have been recommended for the Khel Ratna awards, but the name of Manu Bhaker is missing.
Bhaker is the first Indian athlete after Independence who won two medals in the same edition of the Olympic Games. While Harmanpreet bagged the bronze medal at the Olympics for India, Praveen won a gold medal at the Paris Paralympics in the men's high jump T64 class with an Asian record to boot.
As per the report, the decision has been made by a 12-member selection panel that was headed by the retired Supreme Court judge, Justice V. Ramasubramanian, who has made the decisions.?
According to the sports ministry officials, Manu Bhaker did not apply for the award; moreover, sources close to the shooter¡¯s family claimed that she had sent in her application. Bhaker had a pistol malfunction at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and did not return with any medals, but she made an amazing comeback in Paris. She also bagged gold medals at both the CWG and Asian Games. She won gold at the 2022 Asian Games, in the women's 25m pistol team event.?
As soon as Bhaker's Paris 2024 exploits, Bhaker was trolled on social media for allegedly asking for the Khel Ratna from the government. She took to X and shared a post questioning, 'Tell me, Do I deserve the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Rat¡¯, reported ToI.?
Moreover, the report also noted that the awards committee recommended the names of 30 sportspersons for the Arjuna Award. These include 17 para-athletes.
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