Lucknow: With Suvarna Raj winning the gold in the discus throw and Swati Chaudhary clinching silver in the W1 archery event on Thursday, nine athletes from UP have made their mark at the ongoing Asian Paralympic Games in Nagoya, Japan. Besides them, two other medal winners, including the state’s sports secretary, Karnataka-born Suhas LY, and Meerut-born Simran Sharma, who is now settled in Delhi, also finished on the podium.Chief minister Yogi Adityanath congratulated the athletes who won medals on Thursday.On his X account, he wrote, “Suvarna’s golden achievement, earned through tireless hard work and unwavering resolve, will give wings to the dreams of countless daughters.”Calling Swati’s victory historic, the CM posted, “Swati’s success would inspire countless young people across India to pursue their dreams and turn them into reality,” adding that everyone was proud of her.For Suhas LY, who secured bronze in the men’s singles badminton event, Yogi said that his achievement was an inspiration for turning dreams into reality through determination and tireless hard work.UP’s medal winners at the ongoing Games include Ajeet Singh and Pradeep Kumar in javelin throw, Ayush Verma in javelin throw and shot put, Prachi Pandey in table tennis, Ram Ratan Singh in discus throw, Preeti Pal in athletics, Praveen Kumar in high jump, Suvarna Raj in discus throw and Swati Chaudhary in archery.Two other athletes whom UP counts among its achievers are IAS officer Suhas LY in badminton and Simran Sharma in athletics. Sharma was born in Meerut and began her training in Modinagar. The UP govt had awarded her Rs 1 crore for winning a bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympics.Govt said that efforts were being made to provide sportspersons with all facilities to help them train and prepare for international-level events. An official said that five sports colleges were operational in Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Saifai, Fatehpur and Saharanpur which offer training in 14 sports, along with free accommodation, meals and education.The Major Dhyan Chand Sports University coming up in Meerut will further strengthen the state’s sports infrastructure, he said.The govt is also giving cash rewards to athletes, and those who win individual gold, silver and bronze medals at the Olympics are entitled to Rs 6 crore, Rs 4 crore and Rs 2 crore, respectively, the official added.
