With the exception of Yogeshwar Dutt (men’s 65kg) and Sandeep Tomar (57kg), all the wrestlers who have secured Olympic quotas –Narsingh Yadav (men’s 74kg), Vinesh Phogat (women’s 48kg), Babita Kumari (women’s 53kg), Sakshi Malik (women’s 58kg), Ravinder Khatri (Greco-Roman 85kg) and Hardeep (Greco-Roman 98kg) — met the legendary batsman.
Even the coaches of all three formats were present on the occasion, along with Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Secretary General Rajiv Mehta and Olympic-bound table tennis player Manika Batra.
Tendulkar on Monday posted a couple of pictures of his meeting with the wrestling contingent on his twitter account.
“Met some of our champion athletes preparing for #RioOlympics2016. Wonderful knowing their experiences and dreams!,” Tendulkar wrote on his twitter handle.
Women’s wrestling team coach Kuldeep Singh, who was present on the occasion, said that the two-hour long meeting with Tendulkar proved to be a psychological boost for the wrestlers.
The 43-year-old cricketer, who is IOA’s goodwill ambassador for the Rio Olympics, also shared some valuable tips to overcome challenges during the Rio Games.
As IOA’s goodwill ambassador, Tendulkar has been meeting athletes who have qualified for the Olympics and encouraging them to give their best at Rio de Janeiro.
Met some of our champion athletes preparing for #RioOlympics2016. Wonderful knowing their experiences and dreams! pic.twitter.com/wAiIdZBb8P
— sachin tendulkar (@sachin_rt) May 23, 2016