He is a German football world champion, but his heart beats for more than just one sport: as an ambassador for the Porsche youth development programme, Turbo for Talents, Sami Khedira has been passing on his experience as a professional athlete to young people since 2018. His contract with Porsche has now been extended by a further two years. "I am delighted that the opportunity is there. It's an honour for me to be part of the team," he says in the new episode of the Porsche podcast ‘9:11’. "Turbo for Talents is incredibly important because we can be role models. I think the programme has been a huge success so far and there is much, much more we can do."
In the podcast, Khedira talks with former ski racer and Porsche brand ambassador Aksel Lund Svindal about the two sportsmen’s role models as well as having the right mindset for dealing with crises and success – on and off the field and slopes.
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"If you only have fun when you win something, then I don't think that's enough. You have to take the whole journey and enjoy it," says Svindal in the podcast. By "journey", the double Olympic champion and five-time World Champion means setbacks and the hard work that success naturally entails. In parallel to Khedira, about whom the football magazine "Kicker" once wrote: "There is almost no injury that Sami Khedira has missed in his professional career", Svindal’s great career was also marked by catastrophic falls and injuries.
When it comes to fighting his way back to the top, Khedira explains his approach: "Having a goal, that's where I want to go – and then also setting intermediate goals. When do I want to run again, when do I want to get back on the pitch, when do I want to touch the first ball again? Find solutions, encourage your environment accordingly and also approach every day with this energy. Then you can really create something extraordinary."
His is an attitude that both sportsmen have been living by during the COVID-19 pandemic. "Of course the situation is very tense at the moment. You have to do without many things," says Khedira. "But I have to look at it positively: I can achieve something new, which I didn't have time for before. You shouldn't just fall into self-pity and tell yourself I'm just at home, I'm not allowed to do anything. The positive mindset is the key." For Svindal, "development" is a key concept here: "A development is something that goes forward – learning something, doing something faster, bigger, just cooler. Development is something that is very important for all people. Success actually means that you've been given a challenge and you've achieved it – whether it's in your private life, in your family, in your own business or in sport."
What else distinguishes successful athletes? What role models have shaped Sami Khedira and Aksel Lund Svindal? And what are their plans for 2021? If you’d like to find out, the Porsche podcast ‘9:11’ has the answers (English transcript available as download in the right column).
Turbo for Talents – Porsche youth development
Under the motto Turbo for Talents, Porsche is committed to supporting young talent in various sports throughout Germany. In football, partnerships exist with RB Leipzig, Stuttgarter Kickers, SG Sonnenhof Großaspach and Borussia Mönchengladbach. In ice hockey, Porsche sponsors young talent for the Bietigheim-Bissingen Steelers. In basketball, Porsche is the named sponsor of the Ludwigsburg Porsche Basketball Academy (BBA) – the squad school of the reigning basketball vice-champions. The commitment is not only about supporting high-quality training in sport, but also about the social and personal development of the children and young people involved. One of the programme’s best known supporters is football world champion Sami Khedira.
Find out more about Porsche's wide-ranging youth sponsorship programme at: www.turbofuertalente.de.
Info
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