It was a day to remember for martial arts exponent, Syeda Falak, when Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhara Rao felicitated her on the occasion of Telangana State Formation Day and presented a cash incentive of Rs. 50 lakh here on Thursday.
Incidentally, this is the biggest cash incentive given to any sportsperson by the State Government to other than those from the more popular and glamorous sports like cricket, tennis, badminton.
The Chief Minister kept his promise to spring a pleasant surprise on the young champion, who called on him at his camp office a month ago on her return after winning the gold medal in the US Open Karate Championship.
Mr. Rao hoped that the young champion from the old city would continue to win laurels, especially in the coming World Championship, where she happened to be the lone karateka from Telangana to represent India.
For her part, 22-year-old Falak, first year student of MA in Vanita Mahavidyalaya, expressed gratitude to the State Government and said that the incentive would be put to optimum use in helping her reach new levels of excellence.“I will try my best to win a medal in the world championship,” says Falak whose next major assignments include the India Open Championship in Delhi this August and the World Championship in October in Austria.
