ARNAWAZ DAMANIA

SPORT : Hockey, India (1951-1961)
Secretary, Indian Women's Hockey Association (1979-1982)

" I thrive on challenges"
" Everybody must find time for sports. Sports help a child to concentrate, besides building stamina."
" The corporate world can help to set up sports complexes zone wise. The government should assure such companies of tax exemption. Moreover, incentives should be given to successful ex-sports persons, so that they come forward to impart training and advise to aspiring sportsmen and women.

SHUBHANGI KULKARNI

SPORT : Cricket, India (1976-1991)
Executive Committee of the Women's Cricket Association of India

" I used to play cricket with the boys in our gully. Cricket is always what I wanted to play"
" Sports has equipped me to face hardships, deal with tricky situations, handle different kinds of people and rough it out it adverse conditions. You become street smart!"
" Our team is certainly good and they can reach the top, provided they are exposed to more international matches."
" If you set your mind on something and focus on it, there is no reason why you can't achieve your goal. Hard work and sacrifice are the key words. I was totally focussed and I never thought of relaxing and enjoying life."

SMITA YADAV

SPORT : Rowing, India (1983-1990)
First woman umpire in India

" Once the rowing bug bites you, there's no stopping. I thought that if I could get a bronze medal with a little practice, surely the gold would be mine if I put in a lot more effort."

NAMRATA SHAH

SPORT : HOCKEY, India (1980-1984)

" Just to prove to people that marriage need not stop a sports person from achieving success, I decided to make a comeback to hockey in 1989'
'" I used to watch seniors from the team wearing their blazers and the national colours and I knew then that I wanted to be like them. That was tremendous motivation for me."
" Not everyone can be a winner. To be a winner, there has to be an inborn trait first. The attitude, the physical aptitude, hard work and parental support which are also a must, follow thereafter"

MANJIRI BOKIL

SPORT : Taekwondo and Karate

" I love martial and that's all that matters".
" I was actually on my way to Tilak swimming pool and since the road that I usually took was closed for some reason, I took the Law College instead. I happened to see a board for Taekwondo lessons and I decided to check out the place."
" I wish parents would research the credibility of classes before enrolling their children into martial arts training. Many classes do not have the basic safety requirements and therefore accidents can occur."
" An individual has to be mature enough to understand the responsibility of a black belt.
Kids below 18 are not able to handle it. A black belt is not just about being an expert in techniques, its much more than that"

All of them share the qualities that inevitably make a person, a champion - hard work, perseverance and a belief that they can be the best. And from what they have achieved, it certainly isn't an unfounded one.