How does a youngster skate for two hours, jog for another two, follow it up with couple of hours of swimming and lastly, play football for 150 minutes, all in one day? And, in between, attend school, tuition and study at home.
Ask Kim D’silva, the wonder girl from Lilavatibai Podar Senior Secondary School, for this is often her daily time table.
Donning her footballer avatar, she scored a hattrick in her school’s 3-0 win against St. Anne’s (Orlem) in a MSSA U-16 game at the Azad Maidan on Wednesday.
This is the 15-year-old’s fourth hattrick this year, but she shrugs off her achievement. “I’m the only striker for my team, and the midfield sets up the goal. I just have to put it in the net,” she says.
What’s surprising is that football is not her preferred sport and plays it only because, “I am good at it”.
Her primary interest is skating. Having come first in DSO state championship last year, she competes at the national level and it is this sport that gives her most joy.
“Skating is my passion, I train really hard for it and my achievements so far inspire me to train harder,” she says.
If football and skating aren’t enough, Kim is also an endurance swimmer. Though she started swimming to maintain fitness, she started to like it, especially swimming long distance.
Kim says swimming pools do not give her the kicks and prefers the seas. Having swum three kilometres in Madhwan, she wants to attempt even more difficult feats.
“I will jump at the opportunity to swim long distances at sea.
If they are in competitions, I will surely participate,” she says.
So how does she fit all of this in a day? “I start my day at 4.30am. Time management is very crucial for everyone, especially a sportsperson,” she says.
Her source of inspiration and support is her family. “I come from a family of sportspersons. So everyone encourages me to play as much as I can.”
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}