Buffalo worth Rs 1.5 lakh for 'best' wrestler at women nationals

Agra: While young cricketers like T Natarajan, Shardul Thakur, Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar, Navdeep Saini and Mohammed Siraj get awarded with SUVs for their stellar performance in Australia, wrestlers have to make do with buffaloes.

With more physical strength probably needed to pin down opponents on a wrestling mat than to hurl a 156 gram cricket ball, it makes sense to gift them an endless supply of protein.

So it comes as no surprise that a buffalo worth Rs 1.5 lakh will be given to the "best athlete" at the National Women Wrestling Championship in Agra. According to Dronacharya Awardee Mahavir Prasad, a committee has been set up to decide the best wrestler of the event that concludes on Sunday.

"On the final day of the National Women Wrestling Championships in Agra, a local sports enthusiast expressed his desire to give buffalo worth Rs 1.5 lakh to the best athlete of the event; this was announced by WFI chief (Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh) on the public address system," Prasad told IANS.

"The athlete might not be able to transport the buffalo back home but could get cash award of Rs 1.5 lakh," he added.

On Saturday, Haryana teenager Sonam Malik shocked 2016 Olympics bronze medallist and her senior statemate Sakshi Malik 7-5 to win gold in the 62kg weight category. Madhya Pradesh's Pushpa and Haryana's Manisha won bronze medals in the 62kg category.