Odisha’s Birendra Lakra and Amit Rohidas created history when they became the first two players from the State to win Olympic medals.
They were part of the Indian men’s hockey team that defeated Germany 5-4 in the bronze medal match of Tokyo Olympics as the country won its first Olympics hockey medal after a gap of 41 years. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik congratulated the team on the victory. Praising the two hockey players from Odisha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said their game is a delight to watch. The Odisha Olympic Association (OOA) would honour the two players.
As per previous announcement, Rohidas and Lakra would receive cash reward of Rs 1 lakh each for the team’s bronze medal. Earlier, the OOA had announced cash prize of Rs 5 lakh for gold medal, Rs 3 for silver and Rs 1 lakh for bronze.