Sachin Tendulkar shares his inspirational story with young athletes

Four young female athletes from the Mann Deshi Champions programme which is supported by the Sachin Tendulkar Foundation got a onceinalifetime opportunity to meet cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai recentlyThe four young medalwinning track and field athletes from rural Satara who were accompanied by their two coaches could not conceal their joy and excitement on meeting their sporting idol and asked Sachin questions about his career diet and fitness journeyAll four girls hail from farming families in rural Satara district Vaishnavi Sawant from Pulkoti currently pursuing an MA has won gold silver and bronze medals in the 3000meter steeplechase at the National level Arya Kale from Jambhulani an 8thgrade student has secured a National bronze medal in the 2000meter race Arati Babar from Dhokmoda presently pursuing a BA has actively participated in 5 Km and 10 Km races at the State level Payal Bhosale also from Dhokmoda has won a silver medal in the 600meter race at the District levelThe girls also wanted to know how a sportsperson could deal with failures Sachin gave them advice from his experiences Failures are natural and a part of your journey as a sportsperson You will face failures and things will not always be in your favour every day What really matters is your mindset in facing failure and not allowing it to affect your longterm plan It is important to believe in yourself and keep working towards your goal Just like you train your body to be strong you must also train your mind to be resilient learn from failures and move forwardThe Sachin Tendulkar Foundation began working with the Mann Deshi Foundation in December 2023 supporting the Mann Deshi Champions programme with financial support to provide young boys and girls in rural India with sports facilities that nurture their overall physical mental and social developmentAlso ReadUnder the microscopeSachin who was accompanied by his wife Anjali Tendulkar also enquired about the girls training routine He appreciated their dedication in not missing their twicedaily rigorous training once before attending school in the morning and then in the evening after school The Mann Deshi Foundation provides these young athletes with healthy and nutritious food after the training sessionsThe Sachin Tendulkar Foundation supports the Mann Deshi Champions programme in its mission to identify prospective outstanding athletes in rural India offer financial and professional coaching support to participate in state national and international competitions and promote a career in sports With a focus on increasing girls participation in sports it also trains local coaches to identify and train talented athletesThe Sachin Tendulkar Foundation supports multiple philanthropic initiatives to build a better tomorrow for Indias next generation It works in the areas of childrens health education and sports Its other initiatives in supporting sports for children include working with the Hi5 Foundation to develop character confidence and team spirit in children in tribal areas of Maharashtra West Bengal and Gujarat through a basketball excellence program called Hope Through Hoops and backing Shreejas Football and Beyond initiative which is empowering young girls from tribal areas of West BengalWith agency inputs