Need to start early

Michael Phelps, the most successful Olympic athlete ever, took to swimming at the age of seven. Diagnosed with ADHD and scared of putting his face underwater, he

Michael Phelps, the most successful Olympic athlete ever, took to swimming at the age of seven. Diagnosed with ADHD and scared of putting his face underwater, he prevailed over both hurdles. Influenced by elder sisters and US swimmers at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, he began full-fledged training and at 10, held the national record in the age group before Bob Bowman took him to North Baltimore Aquatic Club. ‘World’s greatest athlete’ Ashton Eaton — who defended his decatholon title in Rio - wanted to be a Ninja Turtle (specifically “the purple one” aka Donatello) and decided to take up Taekwondo as a fiveyear-old and got his black belt eight years later. Stints in football, American football, basketball and wrestling followed and made him a well-rounded athlete. Usain Bolt and Mo Farah played cricket and football as kids respectively — the two sports’ losses athletics’ biggest gains. It is not just about finding and focussing on that one sport, as long as a child picks up any sporting discipline early enough.

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