Shiva Keshavan, the first Indian to represent the country in Luge at the Winter Olympics game claimed a silver medal in the 18th edition of the Asian luge championship in Nagano, Japan on Sunday. Keshavan has previously won the gold medals at the Asian Championship in 2011 and 2012, also conducted in the same city.
The 34-year-old finished second behind defending champion Hidenari Kanayama of Japan. The race which consists of two heats saw him claim the second spot in the first heat by just 2/10th of a second, some technical barriers restricted him to the silver medal after the end of the second heat. The bronze medal went to South Korea’s Dong-Hyeon Kim.
Keshavan was was happy to add one more medal to his name, but promised to better his performances for the country. The Olympian added that he did not have a favourable year financially, but was happy to win a medal for the country despite all the difficulties.
“I am happy to add another medal to my kitty. This year has been extremely difficult for me financially and I am proud that despite that I have managed to keep India’s flag flying in international winter sports. I was hoping to bring home the gold, but I still have another two years before Korea 2018, and am hopeful that support will come forth so I can put my best performance yet for our country,” said Shiva.
The 34-year-old became the youngest ever Luge athlete to qualify for the Winter Olympics back in 2002 and is a five-time Olympian. He started the Sochi Winter Olympics 2014 as an independent Olympic participant due to the suspension of Indian Olympics Association, but later was allowed to compete for the Tricolour after the ban from IOA was lifted midway through the winter games.
The Himachal Pradesh resident has previously laid claim to two gold medals, a silver medal and a couple more bronze medals in the Asian circuit. He will now aim to improve on his already commendable performances in the three remaining World Cups, which are due to be held in Germany.
