Chennai: The Tamilnadu Athletic Association on Friday felicitated athletes from the state who represented India at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, and the World Under-20 Championships in Nairobi.All athletes except two-time Olympian Arokia Rajiv – who had a commitment with the Indian Army – were present at the event, which was hosted at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here.
Those who donned the India colours at the Tokyo Olympics – Arokia, Naganathan Pandi, Subha Venkatesan, Revathi Veeramani and Dhanalakshmi Sekar – were given a cash award of Rs 1 lakh each.
Arokia was a member of both the men’s 4x400m relay and the mixed 4x400m relay teams, with Naganathan finding a place in the men’s 4x400m relay squad. Subha, Revathi and Dhanalakshmi were a part of the mixed 4x400m relay team. The 18-year-old Barath Sridhar, who clinched a bronze medal in the mixed 4x400m relay competition at the U-20 Worlds, took home Rs 1 lakh. S Nagarjunan, a member of the men’s 4×400 relay team, and triple jumper Donald Makimairaj were richer by Rs 50,000 each. Siva V Meyyanathan, Minister of Youth Welfare and Sports Development in the state, graced the occasion and handed over the prizes.
The event was sponsored by CASAGRAND and was co-sponsored by MK Group of Companies, with Besten Pumps and Chennai Silks being the associate sponsors.
WI Dawaram, president, TNAA and Latha, secretary of the association were also present on the occasion.