Karnataka announces Rs 10 lakh cash prize to Gold medalist Neeraj Chopra's coach Naik

Neeraj Chopra scripted history on Saturday, August 7, after he became the first Indian athlete to win a Gold medal in track and field events at the Summer Olympics. The 23-year-old threw a gigantic 87.58m throw in the men’s javelin throw finals to clinch the top podium spot and India’s seventh medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Following his victory, Chopra received prizes from all over the nation, raking in crores from various state governments and organizations.

However, in Neeraj Chopra’s triumph, his coach Kashinath Naik also received huge acclaim. The coach trained the ace javelin-thrower for three years at the Indian army facility at Patiala. Recognizing Naik’s contribution, the government of Karnataka announced a cash award of Rs 10 lakh to him as a token of appreciation. Naik has been credited with spotting Chopra’s talent and played a huge part in him developing his technique, polishing his run-up and grip. The 38-year-old who hails from the Sirsi in Northern Karnataka was an ace javelin thrower himself, winning the bronze medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games with a throw of 74.29 meters.

Karnataka state government to award all seven athletes with medal 

KC Narayana Gowda, Karnataka’s Sports and Youth Empowerment Minister in a statement lavished praise on Kashinath Naik and his contribution in helping Neeraj Chopra clinch a historic gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2020. Gowda said that Naik, an achiever himself, trained Neeraj Chopra to win the gold and made the nation proud. In light of his efforts, the state government awarded him a cash prize of 10 lakh. He added that the State Government will also be rewarding all seven athletes who won medals, and details on that will be released shortly.

Kashinath Naik believed in Chopra’s ability and honed him as he started out early in his career becoming a junior world champion and a South Asian Games medalist. Neeraj then moved forward and had Uwe Hohn as his coach, who was by his side during the Tokyo Olympics 2020. The dup closely worked with biomechanics expert Klaus Bartonietz, who played a significant role in helping the 23-year-old return from a horrific elbow injury. Following his Gold medal win, Chopra was conferred with cash prizes by the governments of Haryana, Manipur, and Punjab. He was also gifted cash awards by the BCCI, Chennai Super Kings and BYJU’s, while Anand Mahindra and IndiGo Airlines also stepped up with rewards after his stellar performance at the Tokyo Olympics 2020.

Image: ANI/Neeraj Chopra Insatgram