CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Monday congratulated Tamil Nadu native Satish Kumar Sivalingam, who won the gold and set a new record in the 77-kg snatch weightlifting category at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Governor K Rosaiah and PMK chieftain S Ramadoss were among the others who congratulated the Vellore-native on his achievement on debut.
“You have done both the Nation and the State of Tamil Nadu proud by winning a Gold Medal and setting a new Commonwealth Games record at the Commonwealth Games, 2014, being held at Glasgow, Scotland. Kindly accept my heartiest congratulations on behalf of the people of Tamil Nadu on this splendid achievement. What is even more remarkable is that you have won a Gold Medal in the first International event of this scale that you have participated in,” read Jayalalithaa’s congratulatory note to Satish.
“As you are aware, I had announced the enhancement of the financial reward for sportspersons winning a Commonwealth Gold Medal to Rs.50 lakhs in December, 2011. You will now be eligible to receive this cash incentive. I congratulate you and all those who have contributed to your success and wish you many more such laurels on behalf the Country and Tamil Nadu in future,” Jayalalithaa added.
Rosaiah too expressed pride over Satish’s achievement, and said it was his hard work that had fetched him the gold medal. He also conveyed his felicitations to Satish’s parents and expressed hope that the 22-year-old would bring more laurels to his country in the future.
Ramadoss noted that Satish was a native of Sattuvachari in Vellore, had attended a government-run school and had benefitted from training given by the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu. “That an athlete from Tamil Nadu has won the gold medal gives boundless joy. There is a bright future in store for Satish Kumar. I wish he goes on to win more medals at September’s Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, and at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro,” read Ramadoss’s statement.