Rural Athletes Shine At Washington D.C

September 27, 2017

A unique two-week athletic immersion programme took rural athletes from Mhaswad to the US. The Mann Deshi Champions Programme saw Vaishnavi Sawant and Reshma Kewate place first and second respectively in the 2500 metre race at a Northern Virginia regionals competition. Conducted at Lake Braddock Secondary School in Washington D.C, the girls were felicitated at a special ceremony at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.

Vaishanavi is a long jumper, Reshma is a long-distance marathon runner while Poonam Kalel another participating athlete is a triple-jumper. They faced enormous financial and economic challenges on their journey to become recognized athletes. The girls spoke about training and their travels whilst shedding light on their roots. They admitted they used to chase livestock, often cutting sugarcane barefooted. This aided them to build their stamina and muscles.

Minister Chandrakant Dada Patil addressed the girls who hail from the drought-prone region of Mann taluka in rural Maharashtra. The girl’s parents were all praise for the athletes. Prabhat Sinha, Founder of Mann Deshi Champions spoke of limited opportunities for athletes in rural areas due to a lack of facilities, awareness and support. He explained that their objective is to empower young rural girls and boys to develop their potential and seriously consider sports as a career.

Vandana Bhansali, Programme Director said that all the athletes came from very humble backgrounds. “The girls fought against so many odds to shine in an international competition. This makes us all very proud. It just goes show how much talent is there in rural Maharashtra. We are inspired to continue to enhance and nurture these talents.”

Chetna Sinha is the Chairperson of the Mann Deshi Foundation who suggested a strong link between sports and youth development. “Ever since we started this programme for the children of Mhaswad and surrounding villages, we have gotten a tremendous response. The programme is now turning into a big movement with regular activities like various marathons.”

The foundation has apparently planned to support athletes in the 2020 Olympics in Japan.