Swimmer Bhakti Sharma seeks financial aid via crowdfunding

September 8, 2016

Mumbai, Sep 8: Indian open water swimming champion Bhakti Sharma, who has set a world record by swimming 1.4 miles in 52 minutes in one degree temperature in the Antarctic Ocean, is seeking monetary help from citizens through an online crowdfunding platform to try her luck in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Bhakti

The 26-year-old swimmer from Udaipur in Rajasthan, started swimming at a young age of two under the wings of her mother Leena Sharma. She is currently undergoing rigorous training sessions in suburban Vile Parle here where she is working hard to sharpen and maintain her form and rhythm.

Blessed with high stamina and capability to swim long distances, Bhakti said, "I am falling short of funds to complete my training and therefore I approached the team of fueladream.com to help me launch an online petition. So far, people have donated around two and half lakh rupees. But this amount is much below my expected target of Rs 1.5 crore that I would need to spend in coming four years of my preparation."

After setting the world record in 2015, Bhakti received accolades from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and it is then that the CEO of a Japanese MNC advised her to try crowdfunding as a viable and long term option.

"This is not the first time that I am looking for crowdfunding to fund my annual training costs. I have done it before while setting the world record too and now I am repeating it for 2020 Tokyo Olympics," said Bhakti.

The world record holder now wants to represent India at the Olympics in open water swimming.

"Open water swimming has been an Olympic sport since 2008 and I want to represent India in this event and hopefully win a medal. Nothing makes you more proud than representing your country on an international platform," she said adding that the only problem is that open swimming is not so popular in India.

On whether the state and centre governments are not forthcoming with the financial help Sharma said, "My home state government (Rajasthan) is not offering me any sort of monetary help. However, I am currently following the appropriate procedure with Union Sports ministry, and have written to them. They, after scrutiny, may allocate funds as it does to potential Olympic talents."

Describing the crowdfunding as a tool of resounding success for upcoming talents,Ranganath Thota, the Founder and CEO of fueladream.com said, "We are thrilled that fueladream could help a world class swimmer like Bhakti Sharma and also excited that the people of India have helped fund her campaign in quick time. It is in making Bhakti's dreams come true that the dreams of our country to win medals at Tokyo will be realised."

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News Network
June 2,2020

Bengaluru, Jun 2: Bangladesh opening batsman Tamim Iqbal has said that he was ashamed on seeing the training regime of Indian skipper Virat Kohli.

Iqbal said that the incident happened two-three years back as he thought to himself that why he cannot do the same even when he is the same age as Kohli.

"I must say this, it is not because I am talking to an Indian commentator, India is our neighbour so whatever things they do, it affects Bangladesh as well. We follow what is happening in India, when India changed its approach towards fitness, it impacted Bangladesh the most," Iqbal told Sanjay Manjrekar in a videocast hosted by ESPNCricinfo.

"I have no shame in admitting this, when I saw Virat Kohli running around two-three years ago, I was ashamed of myself, I thought this is a guy who is probably my age, but he is training so much and I have not doing even half of it. We have a great example in our team as well, Mushfiqur Rahim manages himself well regarding fitness," he added.

During his initial days of international cricket, Kohli was fond of chicken which he has admitted several times during media interaction.

But in 2013, the 31-year-old batsman intentionally shifted his focus to fitness, diet, and training.

Now he has become punctual about his diet which has given him a different character on and off the field.

The comparisons between Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar have also kept on growing and many have picked the current Indian skipper to break the records set by Tendulkar.

Tendulkar managed to call time on his career after registering 100 international centuries, while Kohli currently has 70 centuries across all formats.

Currently, Kohli is ranked at the top spot in the ICC ODI rankings while he is in the second place in Tests rankings.

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News Network
January 30,2020

Hamilton, Jan 30: Caught unaware about the Super Over scenario, Rohit Sharma took five minutes to “find” his abdomen guard after the third T20 International against New Zealand had ended in a tie on Wednesday.

The India vice-captain said the team had almost given up with New Zealand going great guns at one point.

“Everything was packed. All my stuff was inside my bag. I had to get it out. It literally took me five minutes to find my abdomen guard because I didn’t know where it was,” Rohit said.

“I mean we never thought it would go to the Super Over, the way they were batting at one point. It looked like they could easily win the game,” he added.

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News Network
April 5,2020

New Delhi, April 5: England batsman James Vince lashed out at people for not taking proper measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic and said people are going out as if "everything is normal".

"Just seen the pictures of people out and about today as if everything is normal. What selfish people, surely by now they've realised this is serious. Well done to everyone who's doing their bit and staying in," Vince tweeted.

On March 13, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said that Europe was now the 'epicentre' of the disease.

The death toll due to the novel coronavirus in the UK has exceeded 4,313 with at least 708 new deaths in the last 24 hours, the largest one-day rise since the start of the outbreak as confirmed by the Department of Health and Social Care.

The total number of cases in the UK as on Saturday is 41,903, a rise of 3,735 cases in the last 24 hours.

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