New Delhi: Competing in his sixth and last Winter Olympics, pioneer in luger sport, Shiva Keshavan wants to overcome a recent injury and end his international career with a flourish during the Pyeongchang Games, starting this week.
The 36-year-old, who has represented India in every Winter Olympics since 1998, has decided to call it quits after taking part in the February 9-25 event.
“Age wise I think I can continue. Even two medal winners in 2014 Sochi edition were above 40. I have represented India for 22 years, but now I think I need to move on and focus elsewhere,” Keshavan told this agency, Monday. “So this Winter Olympics will be my last international event.”
Son of an Indian father from Kerala and an Italian mother, Keshavan is the reigning Asian champion in luge and the speed record holder. He has won Asian Luge Championships in 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017.
He has also been India’s flag bearer in four Winter Games and he said he will miss the honour of ‘carrying the whole country on his shoulders’.
“When IOA was suspended (during 2014 Sochi), I took part in the opening ceremony as an independent athlete (under IOC flag). Except for that one, I had carried the Indian Tricolour in all other Olympics at either the opening or the closing ceremony,” Keshavan informed. “Every four years, I had the honour of carrying the country on my shoulders,” added the soft-spoken athlete.
Keshavan’s best performance in his five appearances has been a 25th-place finish in 2006. This time, he has a personal coach in American Duncan Kennedy, for the first time in his career, and received financial support from the government as well as some private companies. Unfortunately, he had suffered an injury on his hand a couple of weeks back.
“I had a crash while competing in Germany and I suffered a few hairline fractures. I am feeling good now but still not 100 per cent. My event is on February 10 and 11, and hopefully, I will be fully fit by then,” Keshavan stated.
“There has been a lot of difference over the years in training procedures. When I started in 1998, I was just 16. I did not have any equipment, any coach. Even in 2014 I did everything myself. But in the last three years, I have been training under Kennedy, the first time I’m having a personal coach. Hence I am much more confident of a good show than in my previous Olympics,” Kehsvan stated.
