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

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

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

“I enjoyed the time I spent in the pool and started competing in small tournaments at the age of four. I had some success early and this gave me extra joy and passion. As a person, I was competitive and sporting and this made me choose swimming as a profession.” Manisha Ramadass, who won bronze in badminton at the 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,” the 19-year-old said.

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

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

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