Blurred vision in right eye did not deter goalkeeper Siddhartha Shekhar from making sensational saves in Campion's victory over St Joseph's High School
Blurred vision in right eye did not deter goalkeeper Siddhartha Shekhar from making sensational saves in Campion's victory over St Joseph's High School
Accurate vision is a big boon in the field of sports. Campion High School (Cooperage) goalkeeper Siddhartha Shekhar wasn't blessed with a perfect eyesight, thanks to a few black marks surrounding the retina of the eye since birth. He was nevertheless determined to overcome the odds.u00a0 
Campion's Yohann Dastoor (right) vies for the ball against St Joseph's
Ashish Solangi in the MSSA U-16 inter-school football match at Azad
Maidan yesterday. PICs/PRADEEP DHIVARu00a0
In spite of blurred vision in the right eye, Siddhartha relentlessly pursued his dream of goalkeeping. His efforts bore fruits as he made some sensational saves to help Campion win 3-0 against St Joseph (Wadala) in the Mumbai School Sports Association (MSSA) U-16 inter-school football match at Azad Maidan yesterday. Keegan Pinto, Yohann Dastoor and Porous Shroff were the goal-scorers for Campion.
"Images look blurred and it makes difficult to judge the ball. I keep my self alert during the match, which helps me concentrate on the ball," Siddhartha said.
"I use spectacles for reading and writing, but I have to do away with them when I am on the field as it is risky to play with it," added Siddhartha, who hasn't conceded a goal in three matches in the tournament so far.
No cure
Siddhartha's parents tried their best to cure the problem. "But no treatment helped," he lamented.
Campion coach Wilfred Alex Alva had high praise for Siddhartha. "Despite his vision problem, he made some brilliant saves. Last year too he conceded only three goals in eight matches," he said.
Siddhartha, however, rued losing out on his first big opportunity of representing Maharashtra last year due to his academic commitments. "I was selected to play for Maharashtra after doing well in the District Sports Office (DSO) tournament. Unfortunately, I couldn't join the team due to commitments in school. It was my first big opportunity, but school comes first," he said.
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