Bengaluru: Carrying a muscular build on a six-feet-nine inch frame, discus throw ace Vikas Gowda gives an impression of someone you don’t want to cross. But at close quarters, Gowda is a soft spoken person who puts people around him at ease with his mild mannered approach. Fresh from his silver-winning performance at the IAAF Diamond League event in Doha, which boasted of a field containing two Olympic medalists and World Cup medalist, the 30-year-old is riding on a high and looking forward to the year ahead.
“The silver in Doha last week is the highest in the Diamond League meet I have ever achieved, so I want to keep improving and build on that,” said Gowda, who registered 63.23 metres, well below his personal best of 66.90m. “I am happy but I wish I could have thrown further. For early May, though, it is good,” the Mysore-born giant added. With most athletes warming up to the season, Gowda, who had some niggles to his back and knee, believes that his best is yet to come.
“My back is still a little off. Technically I felt a little bit short and should have been more relaxed. But that is something that I can work on and improve,” said Gowda, who pointed out that throwing longer with lesser effort is the key to success. “Sometimes I muscle or rush the throw a little bit. That’s what I want to work on and every day I feel like I am getting there,” said Vikas, who is supported by Olympic Gold Quest.
With 2014 a marked year in athletes’ calendar with multiple high profile events, Gowda has his calendar well planned.
“I will be participating in all the Diamond League meets, CWG, Asiad and the World Cup. The season is all planned out,” said Gowda whose next stop is the Rome meet before moving on to Amsterdam and New York. Despite being based out of the United States, Gowda was also quick to add kind words about the Indian government on the support. “The Central Government has been good to me and have also helped me out a lot this year. But I am hoping that it is not just because of the CWG and Asian games,” ames this year," he added.
