Weightlifter Sathish Sivalingam, who won gold in the Commonwealth Games (CWG) at Gold Coast in Australia, returned to a warm reception in Vellore. About 300 to 500 students gathered near the Vellore Fort from where he and his parents were brought in a rally by a vehicle to Nethaji Stadium on Friday.
At the stadium, the District Sports Office organised a reception to congratulate the weightlifter for his feat. Commercial Taxes Minister K.C. Veeramani and Labour Minister Nilofer Kafeel lauded his achievement. Mr. Veeramani said he should win more laurels.
‘No dearth’
Collector S.A. Raman said by winning gold, Sathish Sivalingam has made Vellore, Tamil Nadu and India proud. “He should continue to win gold. There is no dearth of players in Vellore. It is an important centre for weightlifting. The State government has established a centre of excellence for weightlifting in Vellore because of weightlifters like Sathish Sivalingam,” he said.
This was the second CWG gold medal for Mr. Sivalingam. He had won the gold medal at the CWG held in Glasgow in 2014. P. Pakalavan, Superintendent of Police, Vellore, S. Ramesh, District Sports Officer and parents of Sathish Sivalingam – N. Sivalingam and Devanai were present.
