GUWAHATI: Chief minister
Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday announced a cash reward of Rs 50 lakh for
Hima Das who recently scripted history by becoming the first Indian athlete to claim gold in an international track event when she claimed victory in 400m at the IAAF World U-20 Athletics Championships in Finland. Sonowal has already made Hima the sports ambassador of
Assam after the victory.
Assam Athletic Association and Assam Olympic Association have also announced cash rewards of 2 lakh each for Hima while former Assam chief minister
Tarun Gogoi has also announced an award of Rs 1 lakh.
In a statement, Sonowal said Rs 50 lakh will awarded to the champion athlete so that she can have access to better training facilities to enhance her performance. He also said Hima will be accorded a grand welcome when she returns home. The CM also hoped that Hima would continue to improve her performance and bring more glory for her state and country.
On Saturday, though Hima and her teammates failed to qualify for the finals of 4X400m relay final, they bettered their results and broke the national record. "I couldn't make it to the finals but I'm happy to have achieved the new national record in 4X400m relay. I would like to congratulate my team for their performance and support," Hima tweeted.
Hima Das
