Padma Shri awardee Vikas Gowda is an Indian shot putter and discus thrower who has achieved numerous achievements including a gold medal in the 2019 Asian Championships. He has been a part of 4 Olympics for India, the last being in 2016.
Vikas Gowda was born in Mysore, but went on to grow up in Frederick, Maryland in the United States. An alumnus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Vikas is the 2006 US NCAA National Champion in discuss.
He is known as the Hulk of Indian Athletics. His personal best throw is 66.28 meters which is also Indian national record in discus throw, which he achieved in 2012.
Early Life of Vikas Gowda
Vikas Gowda who is known to be the “Hulk of Indian athletes” was born 5 July 1983. Karnataka born athlete was initially trained by his father, Shive Gowda, who was a coach of 1998 Indian Olympic Track team. Vikas was born in India and brought up in USA. Initially Vikas Gowda tried his hands on long jump and then he switched to the throwing discipline.
His journey of achievements started at 2005 Asian Championship where he earned a silver medal. Since that achievement, Vikas never looked back and kept moving towards his ultimate dream and throughout his journey he gave his family & fans numerous inspirational moments. Vikas has also witnessed many failures at initial phase of his career. But his father was always a constant support and motivated him to become what he is today.
Vikas Gowda’s Personal Life
Former athlete and a national coach, Shive Gowda, is the father of Vikas who was his first coach. Not only coach, Shive Gowda has always been a support system of Vikas.
Although Vikas was born in India, but soon he moved to Maryland, U.S when he was 6-years-old. The player was brought up in the US, where he learnt the tricks of the trade. He completed his schooling and graduation from U.S. While pursuing graduation in U.S, the promising athlete arose as the US NAAS National Champion in 2016.
Vikas Gowda’s Professional Life
Vikas Gowda has built a remarkable career. The inspirational athlete constructed a history by acquiring the Commonwealth Gold. After Milkha Singh, Vikas is the second Indian who won a gold medal in athletics event in Commonwealth games. After his achievement in Commonwealth games, Vikas also earned a silver medal at the Asian Games 2014.
Vikas’s father left no stone unturned to sharpen his son’s skills. His father’s hard work and his determination lead him to hold the national record of 66.28m. Shive Gowda’s encouragement decorated his athlete son many medals.
Vikas has also participated in the Olympics of 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016 and out of these he only reached the final round of London Games 2012.
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he failed to reach the finals after finishing 22nd in the qualifiers, managing a throw of 60.69 m. At the 2012 London Olympics, Vikas made amends by qualifying for the finals, finishing at the fifth place with a throw of 65.20 m, and finished 8th in the finals.
He won his first gold medal in Asian Championships in 2013 in Pune, with a throw of 64.90 meters.
The news of the retirement of Vikas was not a surprise for his fans as he didn’t participate in any international events after winning the bronze medal in the Asian Championships.
His retirement was officially announced on twitter page of Athletics Federation of India.
Awards
- Vikas Gowda received Padma Shri in 2017 under the category of civilian award.
Vikas Gowda Achievements
Asian Championships:
- Silver: 2005, South Korea
- Silver: 2011, Japan
- Gold: 2013, Pune, India
- Gold: 2015, China
- Bronze: 2017, Bhubaneswar, India
Asian Games:
- Bronze: 2010, China
- Silver:2014, South Korea
Commonwealth Games:
- Silver: 2010, New Delhi, India
- Gold: 2014, United Kingdom
Vikas Gowda Personal Information
Name: Vikas Shive Gowda
Nickname: Vikas, Gowda
Profession: Track and field athlete
Father’s name: Shive Gowda
Mother’s name: not yet known
Date of birth: 05 July 1983
Age: 36 years
Birth place: Mysore, Karnataka, India
Zodiac sign: Cancer
Nationality: Indian
Hometown: Mysore, Karnataka, India
Religion: N/A
Vikas Gowda Physical Measurements
Height: 205 cm (6 ft 9 in)
Weight: 135 kg
Eye colour: black
Hair colour: black
Vikas Gowda Controversy
Vikas Gowda has been in the headlines and news for his achievements. Apart from that he was on headlines when he announced his sudden retirement news. According to a report Gowda wrote a mail to the AFI “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”. Following his request, the Athletics Federation of India announced Vikas’s retirement through their official twitter account.
Net Worth
Estimated net worth of Vikas Gowda in 2019 is $100K-$1M (Approx.)
Social Media Profiles
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/Vikas-Gowda-394311327299093/
Instagram- NO ACCOUNT
Twitter- https://twitter.com/vikgo70
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