Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar on Monday (February 18) bagged the Laureus Sporting Moment of the last two decades for his iconic 2011 World Cup-winning moment.
In his sixth attempt at the World Cup nearly nine years ago, Tendulkar became a part of a victorious team. Carried on the shoulders of his Indian teammates, Sachin made a lap of honour, shedding tears of joy after the victory was sealed in his home city Mumbai.
Speaking after collecting the trophy from former Australia captain Steve Waugh at the Laureus Awards in Berlin, Tendulkar said: "To be holding this trophy, I would like to thank the Laureus Academy members for giving this memory to me. I think it is really special. Also, the people who voted and felt that the moment we saw on screen was worth voting for.
"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, there are no mixed views. Very rarely the entire country celebrates.
"Very rarely there are no opinions, everyone sits together and celebrates and this is a reminder again of how powerful sport and what magic it does to all our lives. We experience the power of sport. Even now when I watch that it has stayed with me.
"But somewhere I knew something special had 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."
While addressing the gathering of superstar athletes, the Master Blaster said his award belonged to all of them for inspiring young minds with their glittering careers.
"I had the honour of meeting the great man in South Africa, president Nelson Mandela when I was only 19. His hardship did not affect his leadership. Out of many messages he left behind with us, the most important I felt was that sport has got the power to unite, unify everyone," Tendulkar said.
"Today sitting in this room with so many great athletes, some of them did not have everything but they made the best of everything they had. They went on to become champion athletes.
"I thank them for inspiring youngsters to pick a sport of their choice and chase their dreams. Today, I feel this trophy belongs to all of us for having inspired youngsters, it's not just about me."
When asked how it felt to have waited more than two decades to lift the World Cup trophy, Tendulkar replied: "My journey started in 1983 when I was 10 years old. For those who don't follow cricket, India had won the World Cup. At the age of 10, I did not understand the significance of what just happened 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.
"With the trophy in mind, we saw this image, there is a tri-colour In my hand. It was the proudest moment of my life, holding that trophy which I chased, as Boris said, for 22 years. But the only good thing is that I never gave up, I never lost hope. I was merely lifting that trophy on behalf of my countrymen, India and that has given me a lot of satisfaction."
(Inputs from India Today)
