New Delhi, May 30
Discus thrower Vikas Gowda today retired after competing at the highest level for more than 15 years, during which he became the first and only Indian male athlete to win a Commonwealth Games medal in the discipline. The retirement of the four-time Olympian, who will turn 35 on July 5, has not come as a surprise as he has not taken part in any major international event since winning a bronze in the Asian Championships last year in Bhubaneswar.
His retirement was announced by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) on its Twitter page after Gowda informed it of his intent to call it quits.
“After a lot of thinking and consulting, I have decided to retire from athletics. I do not want to punish my body anymore and I want to focus on the next phase of my life,” said Gowda, who is based in the United States. “It was an honour and privilege to represent India and I will forever miss it.” The Mysore-born Gowda’s family moved to Maryland, USA, just before he turned six. His father, Shive Gowda, was a former athlete and a national coach at the 1988 Olympics.
Before emerging as a champion discus thrower, Gowda started his career as a shot putter. His best performance in shot put was 19.62m, which he achieved in 2006 in Atlanta.
His retirement has come just a few months before the Asian Games in Indonesia, yet it’s not surprising as he has been on the wane for a while. He didn’t participate in the last Commonwealth Games after AFI made it mandatory for all athletes to participate in the national championships, which he didn’t. Even for the Asian Championships last year, he had to come from the US to Bhubaneswar to take part in the selection trial.
AFI president Adille Sumariwalla paid rich tributes to Gowda, saying he has been an inspiration for a lot of track and field athletes. “Vikas had a great career as an athlete and his achievements speak about his dedication and hard work over the years. I wish him the best for future and thank him for serving Indian athletics,” Sumariwalla said. — PTI
Gowda’s feats
- Won a gold in the 2013 and 2015 Asian Championships
- Won a silver in the 2010 Commonwealth Games and a gold in the 2014 Glasgow CWG
- Won a bronze in 2010 and a silver in 2014 in the Asian Games
- Took part in the 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympics. Out of the four Olympics outings, he could reach the final only in the 2012 London Games
- Gowda holds the national record of 66.28m (achieved in 2012)
- He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2017
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