Wrestler Aman, shooters Swapnil & Sarabjot, among 30 nominated for Arjuna
NEW DELHI: Ace drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh, who captained the Indian men’s hockey team to a bronze medal-finish at the Paris Olympics 2024, has been recommended for the country’s highest sporting honour, the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award.
Harmanpreet joins para athlete Praveen Kumar, who won gold in the men’s high jump T64 class with an Asian record at the Paris Paralympics for the nomination, recommended by a 12-member selection committee, headed by retired Supreme Court judge, Justice V Ramasubramanian.
Strangely, ace pistol shooter, the Paris Olympics double medallist, Manu Bhaker‘s name is missing from the recommendation for India’s highest sporting award. While officials in the sports ministry claimed that the shooter didn’t apply for the award, sources close to Manu’s family said that she had indeed sent in her application.
Even if she hadn’t applied for the award, the selection committee doesn’t seem to have taken suo moto cognizance of her stupendous achievements as a shooter over the years.
Last year, cricketer Mohammed Shami too hadn’t applied for the Arjuna but was eventually given the award on the Indian cricket board’s (BCCI) insistence, after which the National Sports Day awards committee took suo moto cognizance.
Manu was honoured with the Arjuna in 2020. At the Paris Games this year, she created history after securing two back-to-back medals (bronze) — the women’s 10m air pistol and in the mixed team event with Sarabjot.
However, soon after Paris, Manu faced flak on social media for allegedly asking for the Khel Ratna from the government. She had posted on X: ‘Tell me, Do I deserve the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award. Thanks’.
Hockey captain Harmanpreet was rewarded for his show as one of the world’s best penalty corner specialists in addition to his fine defending skills and overall leadership guided India to a creditable bronze finish in Paris and an Asian Games gold in Hangzhou last year.
He was also part of the team’s successful campaign in Birmingham CWG 2022 (silver), Tokyo Olympics 2020 (bronze) and Jakarta Asiad 2018 (bronze). The 28-year-old from Amritsar has won the ‘FIH Player of the Year’ award thrice in his career, a record by itself.
Similarly, Praveen’s rise as the country’s leading para high jumper cannot be ignored. In Paris, he cleared 2.08m in the final to clinch gold and his second successive Paralympics medal. The 21-year-old from Jewar in Greater Noida, had won silver in Tokyo 2020 with a clearance of 2.07m, an Asian record.
The awards committee also recommended the names of a total 30 sportspersons for the Arjuna. These include 13 from able-bodied sports and 17 para-athletes. Men’s 57kg freestyle wrestler Aman Sehrawat is one of the prominent names to be nominated for his bronze winning-campaign at Paris and Hangzhou Asiad.
Shooters Swapnil Kusale, who won bronze in Paris in the men’s 50m rifle three positions event, and Sarabjot, who secured bronze in the 10m air pistol mixed team event partnering Manu in Paris, have been recommended for the Arjuna. Sarabjot also won gold in the 10m air pistol team event in Hangzhou.
The members of the men’s hockey team, who weren’t awarded with Arjuna on any of the previous occasions, too, have been recommended for the sporting honour. These include Jarmanpreet Singh, Sanjay Rana, Rajkumar Pal, Abhishek Nain and Sukhjeet Singh.
India’s first Paralympic gold medallist, para swimmer Muralikant Petkar, has been recommended for Arjuna in the lifetime achievement category. He won individual gold in the 1972 Heidelberg Paralympics in West Germany.
The 17 para-sport recommendations, who won medals in Paris and have been nominated for Arjuna, include Navdeep Singh (para athletics), Dharambir (para athletics), Ajeet Singh (para athletics), Sachin Khilari (para athletics), Pranav Soorma (para athletics), Preeti Pal (para athletics), Simran (para athletics), Hokato Hotozhe Sema (para athletics), Deepthi Jeevanji (para athletics), Nitesh Kumar (para badminton), Manisha Ramdas (para badminton), Thulasimathi Murugesan (para badminton), Nithya Sivan (para badminton), Mona Aggarwal (para shooting), Rubina Francis (para shooting), Kapil Parmar (para judo) and Rakesh Kumar (para archery).
Para shooting coach Subhash Rana has been recommended for the Dronacharya. Under his mentorship, India’s para shooters landed four medals from the Paris Paralympics, including one gold and one silver and two bronze. Avani Lekhara secured gold in the women’s 10m air rifle event, Manish Narwal won silver in the men’s 10m air pistol and Rubina Francis and Mona Agarwal won bronze each in the women’s 10m air rifle discipline.
However, a few eyebrows have been raised on the nomination of four-time Paralympian and Arjuna awardee, wheelchair-bound para athlete Amit Kumar Saroha, for the Dronacharya award. According to sources, Saroha is an active para athlete who just participated in Paris and has been a Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) beneficiary for the last eight years.
“He is an active athlete and TOPS beneficiary who has never worked as a coach with the para athletics team. Even the athletes whose affidavits have been submitted by Saroha don’t even train together in the same ground,” alleged a source.
