JOIN USWhen he kissed the shining piece of gold around his neck, it was hard to miss the glint of pride in Vikas Gowda’s eyes.
It had taken years and years for him to shape such a moment. And the joy was doubled by the fact that it had come on home soil.
There was no time to savour the success though. Vikas had to rush to catch a flight from Mumbai to Paris, for the Diamond League competition on Saturday. Before that, he spent a few precious moments with the media. Excerpts from the interaction:
On success arriving on the eve of his birthday: When I was flying to Pune, I thought only if I won a gold would I be able to celebrate this. Thankfully, it has worked out that way.
On the competition: Things didn’t work for me initially. My first throw wasn’t good and the second throw hit the cage.
Things were stacked against me. It is in such moments that you can fall back upon the work you have done. You are really tested in such moments and if have worked hard, you can come through such moments.
On the weather: It was good today. Yesterday for the women’s discus throwers, the conditions were terrible. They were all 60M throwers but the weather disrupted the competition badly. Today, the weather was good and anything around 65 metres with very little wind is always good.
On his struggles: I wasn’t getting my balance right in the first two rounds. Then I found out that there was a hole in my shoes. I then changed my shoes after the second round and it worked fine for me after that.
On dealing with pressure: I have been through lot of pressure situations but it doesn’t affect me. I try to shut it all out and concentrate. That way, I have been able to do well in major competitions.
On his parents: Definitely I would like to dedicate this medal to my parents. They have worked as hard as me and sacrificed a lot for my success. My dad (Shive Gowda) always instilled in me the virtues of hard work. I was speaking to my parents now and they were all excited – naturally so.
On future plans: This win certainly is a confidence-booster for me ahead of the World Championships (in Moscow next month). I have a few competitions lined up, in Paris and then in London. I am still in training and the body is not 100 per cent fresh. I will need to rest up a bit and then I will be able to do better.