Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik announces Rs 1.5 crore cash prize for silver medallist Kishore Jena

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India]: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced a cash award of Rs 1.5 crore for Odisha athlete Kishore Jena who clinched a silver medal in the men’s javelin throw final in the Asian Games on Wednesday.

Kishore Jena broke his personal best in back-to-back throws and came close to gold medalist Neeraj Chopra’s season-best throw of 88.88m with his 87.54m in the men’s javelin throw final event in Hangzhou, China. Jena also qualified for the Paris Olympics in 2024.

After Jena’s heroics in the event, Sports Odisha on X (formerly Twitter) announced that CM Patnaik had announced a cash prize for the 28-year-old athlete.

“Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri @Naveen_Odisha has announced a cash award of Rs 1.5 crore for #Odisha’s Javelin star Kishore Kumar Jena for bagging a silver at the ongoing Asian Games at Hangzhou, China. With a PB throw of 87.54m, Kishore has also qualified for Paris Olympics.”

Neeraj Chopra and Kishore Jena were in a league of their own competing for the gold in a highly engaging men’s final. While the rest were merely competing for the sole bronze medal finish.

There was a neck-to-neck competition between two Indian athletes as both players attempted for gold, however, in the end, it was the defending champion who prevailed with his season best of 88.88. Jena showed his mettle in the event to clinch a silver medal after much competition with Neeraj.