Padma award highlight of my career, says Gowda
Gowda has had to prove to himself that he still has what it takes to represent India looking ahead to Rio 2020.
Bengaluru: Karnataka’s very own export — discus thrower and shot putter Vikas Gowda — was one of four athletes to receive the prestigious Padma Shri award from President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Thursday.
Rio 2016 bronze winning wrestler Sakshi Malik, gymnast Dipa Karmakar and gold medallist Paralympian Mariyappan Thangavelu were also bestowed with the national’s fourth highest civilian award for distinguished service to the sporting community.
Gowda, who arrived in Bengaluru on Friday to spend time with his father and 1988 Olympic track team coach Shive, and mother, was pleased and surprised at the award.
“Yes, I was a little bit surprised, I wasn’t expecting it. It was definitely an amazing experience and is one of the highlights of my career. I never thought I’d be in one room with as many high-level people,” the 33-year-old said proudly.
However, he hadn’t hit the high notes of late owing to frustrating injuries.
“I had torn quad tendons in both my knees. It’s right on the attachment above the knee caps. That took almost a year to recover from. It’s still not 100 per cent but I think it’ll be okay enough for me to compete again,” the US-based thrower explained. His time out has been testing, both mentally and physically, and Gowda has had to prove to himself that he still has what it takes to represent India looking ahead to Rio 2020.
“I spent a lot of time rehabbing when I was out injured. That was one of my goals because it was kind of stressful not being able to do much. Being an Olympic year, it was such an important year and I spent a lot of time trying to get back in shape.”
The national record holder for discus at 66.28 metres has been on the mend since and looks forward to getting back to regular competition next month. “When I head back, I’m going to plan out some small competitions to open up at and take it from there. The Asian Athletic Championships (July 1 to July 4) are my first main target because that’s a little less than three months from now,“ he said.