A dream come true, says para-athlete Praveen

It was no surprise for para-athlete Praveen Kumar when he found his name among those chosen for the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna awards on Thursday evening as he was quite sure he would get the same after his consecutive success at the Paralympics, first a silver at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics in the T64 category in high jump and then a gold at the 2024 Paris Paralympics.

- Sharad Deep

LUCKNOW:

"It's like a dream come true. I am excited to get the award. After finishing on top at the Paris Paralympics last year, I was sure of winning the national award as it was my second (medal) in the Paralympics," said Kumar, a native of Govindgarh village in Jewar tehsil of Gautam Budh Nagar district, on Thursday.

He will receive the honour alongside other distinguished athletes, including World Chess champion D Gukesh, Indian men's hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh and double Olympic medalist Manu Bhaker on January 17, at a specially organised function at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

Besides Kumar, other Uttar Pradesh athletes who will receive Arjuna awards include Annu Rani (athletics), Rakesh Kumar (para-archery), Preeti Pal (para-athletics), Ajeet Singh (para-athletics) and Simran (para-athletics).

Kumar, 21, credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for providing the much-needed recognition to para-sports, helping athletes like him achieve greater visibility and respect.