Kathmandu, June 8

National Sports Council today rewarded the gold medallists and record breaking athletes of the seventh National Games held in Eastern Region in December last year.

In all, 688 gold medal winners — 260 in individual and 428 in team events — and 10 national record breaking athletes were handed over the total amount Rs 7.29 million as promised by the sports governing body before the Games that features 34 sports disciplines.

Gold medallists in individual sports received Rs 15,000 each, while the team event gold winners got Rs 7,000 apiece and each national record was rewarded with Rs 25,000. A total of 16 national records were shattered in the Games. Tribhuvan Army Club swimmer Sirish Gurung was the highest earner with a total of Rs 350,000. He bagged Rs 125,000 for five national records and Rs 225,000 for 15 gold medals.

Another swimmer Sofia Shah and gymnast Raju Rai, who bagged five gold medals each, received Rs 75,000 apiece, while athlete Keshari Chaudhary and swimmers Osina Bharati and Sonira Bista received Rs 45,000 each for three gold medals.

Athlete Chandra Kala Lamgade received Rs 50,000 for two national records and Rs 30,000 for two gold medals, while lifters Kamal Bahadur Adhikari, Sinesh Shrestha, Pukar Gurung, Devi Chaudhary, Kamala Shrestha and Tara Devi Pun earned Rs 25,000 each for national records and Rs 15,000 apiece for gold medals.

The players who won double gold medals in the Games, athletes Yam Sajan Sunar, Som Bahadur Kumal, Gopi Chand Parki, Dilli Khatri, Kanchhi Maya Koju, Krishna Chaudhary and Saraswoti Bhattarai earned Rs 30,000 each. NSC Member Secretary Keshab Kumar Bista and Members Sakuntala Nagarkoti, Upendra Paudel, Sudil Shahi and Birendra Shrestha among others handed over the rewards to the athletes.