Bhubaneswar: Odisha athlete Sabita Toppo, who won Gold in Long Jump and 100m Hurdles in the Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG) 2022 was felicitated with cash award of Rs 2 lakh by the state government on Tuesday.
Sabita along with other athletes, who had won 30 medals in the KIYG, were felicitated by Tusharkanti Behera, Minister of Sports and Youth Services; Dilip Tirkey, Chairman of Hockey Promotion Council of Odisha and Sailendra Jenaat, Joint Secretary at a function in the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.
The athletes who won medals at the KIYG and other athletic meets in the past year were given total cash award of Rs 1,85, 22,500 at the felicitation ceremony. Of 30 medals bagged by them at KIYG, 11 were Gold, 8 Silver, and 11 Bronze. The government honoured their achievement by awarding cash prizes of Rs 1 lakh, Rs 75,000, and Rs 50,000 for Gold, Silver and Bronze medals, respectively.
Among the KIYG athletes, besides Sabita Toppo, Dondapati Mrutyam Jayaram was awarded Rs 1 lakh for winning Gold in 100m Run, Swagat Kumar Behera Rs 75,000 for Silver in Triple Jump and Merymukta Soreng Rs 50,000 for Bronze in Triple Jump. The 400M Boys relay team that won Gold and the 400M Girl’s relay team that won Silver were given Rs 4 lakh and Rs 2 lakh respectively.
The 18-member Hockey Men’s Team that secured a silver medal received a cash award of Rs 75,000 for each member. The Gold winner Kho-Kho Women’s Team and Bronze winner Kho-Kho Men’s team were presented cash prizes of Rs 1 lakh and Rs 75,000 each, respectively.
Sohini Sanjay Mohanty and Aradhya Verma from the Tennis team received Rs 1 lakh each for their phenomenal performance in the Girls Doubles category that secured them Gold medal.
The State Rowing Team was also felicitated for their showing at KIYG 2022. The Men’s team bagged Gold in Coxless Pair and Silver in Quadruple Sculls, while the Women’s contingent brought home Silver in Double Sculls and Bronze medal in Coxless Four.
For the first time since its inception, the Khelo India Youth Games featured Kayaking and Canoeing. Odisha bagged an impressive haul of 7 medals. All athletes of the Rowing and Kayaking and Canoeing contingent were rewarded with cash prizes of Rs 1 lakh, Rs 75,000, and Rs 50,000 each for Gold, Silver and Bronze medals.
Para athlete Pramod Bhagat was honoured for his performance at the BWF Para Badminton Championship, where he earned an individual Gold and a team Silver. He was rewarded with Rs 27 lakh. While Para athlete Jayanti Behara, who secured three medals at the WAS World Games ,2022 in Portugal received Rs 54 lakh for her two Golds in 200M and 400M and a Silver in 100M, Sabita Toppo won cash reward of Rs 2.92 lakh for her achievements at the 4 Asian Youth Athletic Championship.
The Sports Minister congratulated the athletes on their remarkable performance and thanked them for bringing glory to the state. “You have made Odisha proud with your hard work, determination, and sportsmanship. Your success at KIYG 2022 and international tournaments is a testament to your talent and potential, and the potential of our beloved State. I am confident that you will continue to shine in your future endeavours,” he said.
