Indian discus thrower will have pressure of delivering medal at the games
Vikas Gowda will be under pressure to deliver medal when he takes part in Discuss throw event on Wednesday
Bengaluru: On Wednesday, when Vikas Gowda prepares for his first throw, it will be a different experience from his previous two Commonwealth Games appearances. For a decade now, the just turned 31-year-old has been a medal prospect at every event he has participated in. At Glasgow, the discus throw silver medallist in Delhi will have the added pressure of headlining India’s campaign in athletics.
At home in 2010, the Indian athletes put up a stupendous show, but this time around, with most of them out-of-form or under prepared, it feels like the downhill slide has been rapid and the medal hopes are threadbare. As far as Vikas is concerned, he is only focusing on his performance.
“I don’t think about expectations. The only thing I am thinking about is what I have to do to be successful. I try not to cloud my mind with unnecessary things,” said the US-based athlete. The burly athlete began the season well with a throw of 63.23 metres which fetched him a silver at the Doha leg of the Diamond League. He hit a high note with a season’s best of 65.62 metres at the Tucson Elite Classic in the United States.
On the flip side, he turned in below par performances at the Rome and New York legs of the Diamond League.On his preparations for the Games, Vikas explained, “The preparations went off well. Right now I’m just resting and letting my body recover as much as possible. I did some Diamond League competitions earlier this year, but I haven’t competed since the middle of June. I spent the last couple weeks focusing on my training and technique. I didn’t want to travel and compete too much.”
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