Bhubaneswar, Oct 17 (IANS): Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik felicitated Odisha’s Javelin star, Kishore Kumar Jena with a cash award of Rs. 1.5 cr for his stellar performance in the recently-concluded Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

Jena bagged a silver medal behind Olympic Games and World Champion Neeraj Chopra, bringing laurels to the state and nation and sealing his berth in the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics Games, thus creating a historic moment. Jena achieved a personal best of 87.54m to secure the silver medal.

CM Patnaik reiterated that Kishore Kumar Jena is a source of pride for the state of Odisha and went on to commend him for the landmark achievement. He further expressed his confidence that Jena would bring more laurels to the state and wished him the best of luck for the Paris Olympics.

Jena thanked the Chief Minister for recognising his efforts and achievements and expressed his gratitude to the Odisha Government for leading by example and supporting sportspersons, which helps them stay focussed on their game.

The javelin thrower who hails from Puri, has had an immensely successful year. In the build-up to the Asian Games, he impressed with a fifth-place finish at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, for which he was recognised with a cash award of Rs. 50 lakh by Chief Minister Patnaik.

He has consistently beaten his personal best throughout the season and will be eager to continue this trend at the upcoming Paris Olympics 2024.