Tendulkar wins prestigious Laureus award for Best Sporting Moment in last 20 years

SachinTendulkar-laureus-sports-awards

sachin tendulkar-laureus-sporting-momentThe image of Sachin Tendulkar being lifted on the shoulders of his teammates after their World Cup triumph at home in 2011 has been voted the Laureus Best Sporting Moment in the last 20 years. Tendulkar won due to immense backing by his Indian fans, as evident from the voting numbers.

Tendulkar realized his dream of lifting the World Cup in his sixth and final tournament in 2011. Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni had hit the winning shot, smashing Sri Lankan pacer Nuwan Kulasekara out of the park for a six.

Indian cricketers rushed to the ground and lifted Tendulkar on their shoulders for a lap of honour. The image has been carved in the heart of every Indian cricket fan.

 

After winning the award, presented to him by Steve Waugh, Sachin said,

sachin tendulkar

“It’s incredible. The feeling of winning the world cup was beyond what words can express. How many times you get an event happening where there are no mixed opinions. Very rarely the entire country celebrates.”

“And this is a reminder of how powerful a sport is and what magic it does to our lives. Even now when I watch that it has stayed with me.”

The legend then took the audience down memory lane, chronicling his journey towards the World Cup.

“My journey started in 1983 when I was 10 years old. India had won the World Cup. I did not understand the significance and just because everybody was celebrating, I also joined the party. But somewhere I knew something special has happened to the country and I wanted to experience it one day and that’s how my journey began.”

“It was the proudest moment of my life, holding that trophy which I chased for 22 years but I never lost hope. I was merely lifting that trophy on behalf of my countrymen.”

Tendulkar also spoke about his experience meeting South African leader Nelson Mandela when he was 19 years old.

“His hardship did not affect his leadership. Out of many messages he left, the most important I felt was that sport has got the power to unite everyone.

“Today, sitting in this room with so many athletes, some of them did not have everything but they made the best of everything they had. I thank them for inspiring youngsters to pick a sport of their choice and chase their dreams. This trophy belongs to all of us, it’s not just about me.”

In a tweet on Tuesday, Tendulkar dedicated the award to his country, teammates, and fans.

“Thank you all for the overwhelming love and support! I dedicate this @LaureusSport award to India, all my teammates, fans and well-wishers in India and across the world who have always supported Indian cricket.”