Sport teaches values beyond competition: Srihari Nataraj

 Olympian swimmer Srihari Nataraj has highlighted life lessons offered by sports, saying y instill values beyond competition.

“I’ve taken part in 3,000 races and come first in probably 300 of se. So re’s a lot more failure than success. Over last few years, I’ve not h many major wins,” he said at “From Ground Up,” a discussion during SFA (Sports for All) Championships here.

“Sport is more about being best version of yourself. Be honest with training and give your best in competition; n you can live with results, whatever y are. results you can’t control, but values and principles you learn from process you will not find anywhere else." Recalling his early swimming days, Nataraj said: “I was always a water baby. I started swimming at ( age of) two. I was one of kids who never cried and ran into water.

“I enjoyed time I spent in pool and started competing in small tournaments at age of four. I h some success early and this gave me extra joy and passion. As a person, I was competitive and sporting and this me me choose swimming as a profession.” Manisha Ramass, who won bronze in bminton at Paris Paralympics, shared her journey of perseverance.

“Paris was special for me. I didn’t expect to win a medal. I just wanted to give my best in every point and every match. Unexpectedly, I won. My hard work and dedication paid off,” 19-year-old said.

“I h a tough draw in Paris, playing against Chinese and French on ir home turf. It was a difficult journey. Months before, I canceled my tournaments and trained without skipping a single session,” she ded.

Shooter Tilottama Sen, 16, who won silver in women’s 10m air rifle at 2023 Asian Shooting Championship, was also part of discussion.

This year, SFA Championships returned to Bengaluru for its second edition, with over 18,463 athletes from 458 schools competing across 22 sports. matches are being held at venues like SAI Netaji Subhash Sourn Centre and Pukone Dravid Centre for Excellence, showcasing grassroots talent.