China's Walihan Sailike (in red) wrestles Ukraine's Lenur Temirov at the Tokyo Olympics on Monday. Photo: AFP

Chinese wrestler Walihan Sailike, who won the bronze medal in the men's Greco-Roman 60 kilograms at the Tokyo Olympic Games on Monday, has won big applause on Chinese social media. 

The 29-year-old Kazak athlete from Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region won China its first medal in the event since the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The medal is also a milestone in the history of sports in the Xinjiang region, the Xinjiang Daily reported.

"I wouldn't be here without the support of my team and my country. This medal is a gift to my country," said Walihan. 

"I am very grateful to our government and the Communist Party of China for cultivating my son into a talent," Walihan's ­father said in an interview. 

Walihan's achievement has made many Chinese proud. The hashtag "Chinese athlete wins bronze medal in men's Greco-Roman 60kg" has earned 260 million views on ­China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo as of Wednesday. 

"Bronze medals in competitions that are less popular [in China] are more precious than gold medals in popular sports," one netizen commented on Weibo.

"This medal is very significant for us! Let's applaud our hero from the [Kazak] ethnic minority. You are the pride of China," another Chinese netizen wrote. 

"What makes me happy is not just how many gold medals we have won, but that we have made breakthroughs in events in which we have never won a medal or made it into the finals. China is truly becoming a sports power," posted one netizen.