It was an Olympics like no other. For the world, and for India. The Games in Tokyo, Japan, were postponed by a year because of COVID-19, but the shadow of the pandemic loomed large.
Despite all the hardships and heartbreaks (read, in shooting), however, it proved to be a historic Olympics for India. Not only did India win its best-ever haul of seven medals, but javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra also won the gold – the country's first-ever Olympic medal in athletics.
It was historic because of several other reasons too, like the first gold in 13 years, the first medal in hockey in 41 years, the first silver in weightlifting, the first boxing medal in nine years, the first woman with two Olympic medals, and the greatest number of debutants ending up on the podium.
So, it was no wonder that the nation welcomed these Olympic stars with open arms, and rewards galore.
The Indian Olympic Association had already announced that it would give the gold medal winners Rs 75 lakh apart from giving each of the participating National Sports Federations a bonus amount of Rs 25 lakh. The silver medal winners will be presented Rs 40 lakh, while the bronze winners will get richer by Rs 25 lakh. The IOA also recommended Rs 1 lakh to each athlete representing the country at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Here’s a look at what the Indian medallists got from the Union government, states and others.
Neeraj Chopra
The 23-year-old from Haryana is still basking in the golden hue of the elusive gold. He topped the field with a throw of 87.58m and has already set his sights on breaching the 90m mark. Here’s what he has got so far:
· Rs 6 crore, class-I category job and plot of land from Haryana government
· Rs 2.51 crore from Punjab government
· Rs 2 crore from Byju’s
· Rs 1 crore from Manipur government
· Rs 1 crore from the BCCI
· Rs 1 crore from Chennai Super Kings
· Rs 50 lakh from Lovely Professional University (LPU)
· Indigo airlines announced one year of free unlimited travel
· Chopra will be the first person to receive the new Mahindra XUV 700 model
· Rs 25 lakh from Elan Group
Mirabai Chanu
The weightlifter from Manipuri ended a 21-year wait for a medal in weightlifting, clinching a silver medal in the 49kg category to open India's account on the very first day of competitions on July 24. The 26-year-old lifted a total of 202kg (87kg+115kg), finally exorcising the ghosts of her disastrous outing in the 2016 Rio Games where she had failed to log a single legitimate lift.
· Rs 2 crore and promotion from Railways
· Rs 1 crore from Manipur government
· Rs 1 crore from Byju’s
· Rs 50 lakh from the BCCI
· Free pizzas from Domino’s
Ravi Kumar Dahiya
The 23-year-grappler from Haryana stormed to the final of the men's 57kg freestyle event without any fuss but had to settle for a silver. He rose to prominence only when he qualified for the Tokyo Games with a bronze medal-winning effort at the 2019 world championship. He has steadily grown in stature ever since, winning the Asian Championship in 2020 and then defending the title this year.
· Rs 4 crore, job, plot of land and indoor wrestling stadium from Haryana government
· Rs 1 crore from Byju’s
· Rs 50 lakh from the BCCI
P.V. Sindhu
One of the strongest medal contenders heading to the Tokyo Olympics, Sindhu delivered once again, with a bronze. The 26-year-old etched her name among the all-time greats after winning women's singles bronze medal to add to the silver she won at Rio 2016. She became the first Indian woman and second overall from the country to achieve the feat.
· Rs 1 crore from Byju’s
· Rs 30 lakh, 2-acre plot from Andhra Pradesh government
· Rs 25 lakh from the BCCI
Bajrang Punia
A favourite heading into the Games, Punia didn't quite live up to the sky-high expectations of becoming the first Indian wrestler to win the gold, but the 27-year-old did return from Tokyo with a bronze medal in the 65kg freestyle category, an impressive feat in a nation starved for success at the grandest sporting spectacle.
· Rs 2.5 crore, job, plot of land and indoor wrestling stadium from Haryana government
· Rs 1 crore from Byju’s
· Rs 25 lakh from the BCCI
· Rs 10 lakh from Lovely Professional University
Lovlina Borgohain
Competing in her maiden Olympics, Borgohain carved a niche for herself in the history of Indian women's boxing by clinching a bronze - India's lone boxing medal at the Tokyo Games. The 23-year-old from Assam used to be a kickboxer before she turned to boxing. She overcame COVID-19 to become only the third Indian boxer ever, after Vijender Singh and M.C. Mary Kom, to finish on the podium at the quadrennial showpiece.
· Rs 1 crore from Byju’s
· Rs 50 lakh and offer for the post of District Superintendent of Police
from Assam government
· Rs 25 lakh from the BCCI
· A road in Guwahati to be named after her
· A stadium to be constructed in her name at her hometown Golaghat
· Rs 3 lakh from Assam Congress
· Rs 10 lakh for her coach Sandhya Gurung
Indian men’s hockey team
Four decades of pain and disappointment was washed away as the Indian men's hockey team clinched the bronze, the country's 12th Olympic medal in the sport that came after a gap of 41 years. It wasn't gold but it was enough to spearhead the revival of the sport in a country that attaches so much sentimental value to it. While Manpreet Singh inspired the team with his leadership, goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh had a phenomenal tournament, standing like a wall when the opposition mounted an attack.
· Rs 1.25 crore from BCCI
· Rs 1 crore from Byju's
· Rs 2.5 crore, job, plot of land each to Haryana players Surender Kumar and Sumit Walmiki from the state government
· Rs 2 crore to Sreejesh from the Kerala government
· Rs 1 crore each for Punjab players - Manpreet Singh, Harmanpreet Singh, Rupinder Pal Singh, Hardik Singh, Shamsher Singh, Dilpreet Singh, Gurjant Singh and Mandeep Singh - from the state government
· Promotion for Manpreet Singh to the rank of Superintendent of Police from his present DSP rank
· Rs 1 crore to Vivek Sagar from Madhya Pradesh government
· Rs 75 lakh and job to Shanglakpam Nilakanta Sharma from Manipur government
· Krishan Pathak to get Rs 50 lakh from Punjab government
All the nine Haryana players in the women's hockey team, too, will get Rs 50 lakh from the state government. Punjab players in the Indian women's hockey team - Reena Khokhar and Gurjit Kaur - and discus thrower Kamalpreet Kaur, who took sixth position, were given Rs 50 lakh each by the state government.
Other participants from Punjab - boxer Simranjit Kaur, shooters Anjum Moudgil and Angadveer Singh, shot putter Tajinder Pal Singh Toor, race walker Gurpreet Singh and Paralympic badminton player (who will shortly participate in the Paralympics) Palak Kohli got Rs 21 lakh each.
LPU, too, has announced Rs 10 lakh each for seven players of the Indian men’s hockey team who are also students at the university - Manpreet Singh (MBA), Rupinderpal Singh (MBA), Harmanpal Singh (MBA), Mandeep Singh (BA), Shamsher Singh (MBA), Dilpreet Singh (BA) and Varun Kumar (MBA).
