Jewar (Uttar Pradesh): Tokyo Paralympics Silver Medallist Praveen Kumar on Wednesday visited his childhood school Pragyan Public School to kick off Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Meet the Champion' initiative in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
Praveen, who studied in Jewar's Pragyan Public School, said "this initiative helps motivate the next generation of athletes and I am especially nostalgic to come back to my old school for the 'Meet the Champion' campaign as this is the place that I started a lot of things, including my sporting journey."
Praveen went on to add that "I am glad that got to get back to my roots to talk about nutrition and balanced diet as it will help my juniors and the future generation to understand about the importance of fitness, diet, and the right food. Further, it will also make them understand that being fit is not just restricted to being physically fit, but being mentally fit as well. This in turn will help them achieve their desired goals." Praveen, who was one of the youngest athletes in the Indian contingent of the Tokyo Paralympics, had won the silver medal in the High Jump - T64 event. Apart from the interactions on sports, diet, and fitness the Paralympian also played a game of volleyball with the students so as to motivate them to take any form of sport that they prefer.
The unique 'Meet the Champion' initiative is being organized jointly by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and the Ministry of Education and is part of the government's 'Azaadi ka Amrit Mahotsav'.
Meet the Champions' initiative is part of the government's 'Azaadi ka Amrit Mahotsav' that was kicked off by Olympic Gold medallist Neeraj Chopra in December 2021.
—ANI