Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi, Aug 20: Indian grappler Sushil Kumar became just the second wrestler in the history of the country to win a medal at the prestigious Olympic games after KD Jadhav had achieved the feat in the 1952 Helsinki games.
Just moments after Sushil etched his name into the history books, accolades started pouring in from across the country.
The Indian Railways, where Sushil is presently employed has decided to promote the winning athlete alongwith a cash reward of Rs 55 lakh. Besides that, the Haryana government has declared a cash award of Rs 25 lakh. Another 50 lakh have flown in from the Delhi government. Steel Minister Ram Vilas Paswan has also declared a cash reward of Rs. 25 lakh.
Expressing his joy on the historic occasion, Indian Olympic Association President Suresh Kalmadi said that the Indian wrestlers have been performing well over the years.
“We have been closely observing the wrestling federation. The wrestlers have performed well. We have enough funds for the Commonwealth Games and hope to perform well there as well,” Kalmadi said.
PR Sodhi, the coach of Indian wrestling team was overjoyed at the achievement.
“It’s a proud moment for the country and Indian wrestling. It is hard to describe my feelings in words at the moment,” Sodhi exulted.
Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav was all praise for the Delhi lad.
“It is like a new birth for Indian sports. In a country where every other sport is sidelined in favour of cricket, Sushil Kumar’s medal is an enormous achievement.”
