Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday felicitated medal-winning Indian wrestlers with cash awards for ir best-ever performance in just-concluded World Championships at Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.

With one silver and four bronze medals, Indian wrestlers bettered ir previous best performance at a World Championship which came in 2013, when country won one silver and two bronze.

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Cash Prices for champions

Deepak Punia was handed a cheque of Rs 7 lakhs for winning silver medal in men's 86 kg, while four bronze winners -- Bajrang Punia (men's 65 kg freestyle), Vinesh Phogat (women's 53 kg), Rahul Aware (men's 61 kg) and Ravi Dahiya (men's 57 kg) were given Rs 4 lakhs each.

Four of five medal winners -- Deepak, Bajrang, Vinesh and Ravi -- also earned Olympic quotas in process. Rahul won a bronze in men's 61kg, which is t an Olympic event.

It was first time that India won four Olympic quotas at Championships. Four years ago, India h earned just one Olympic quota.

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Tokyo Olympics 2020

re are 18 wrestling events at Tokyo Olympics and Indian wrestlers will get two more qualifying opportunities, first at Asian Wrestling Championships in March 2020, followed by World Qualification Tournament in April next year.

"I am very proud of this historic performance by Indian wrestling team where y won five medals and four Olympic quotas," Rijiju told reporters after felicitation. 

"This function and rewards are a way of congratulating m and appreciating m for hour y have brought for country. government will help in any which way possible so that re is shortfall in preparation for Olympics." 

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