How to excel at sports without being an excellent sportsman

Every day we hear about the success stories of sportsmen, how Anjali was selected to represent her state in the Table Tennis Nationals, how Raj won the inter-school swimming competition, and how Rohan is the fastest runner in his district, and so, when we take upon any activity in general, not just sports, we do it with the aim of excelling at it, and as a result, most of the tasks we consider to be productive are those which lead to recognition and laurels.

However, I think sports should be taken up by students, not because of the many laurels it will bring them, but because of the personal sense of accomplishment that they feel upon taking up sports as a way of life, much like academics.