Shiva Keshavan
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Contents |
Early life
Kuldip Lal, December 30, 2013: Livemint
Himalayan hero
Born in a small village in the foothills of the Himalayas, Keshavan grew up in an area which is a hub for winter sports. His penchant for risk-taking was evident from an early age when he and his boyhood friends used to make their own skis and sleds out of wood.
The son of an Italian mother and Indian father, Keshavan has no doubt where his loyalties lie.
“I was offered Italian citizenship, but I refused because I am an Indian and want to spend my life here,” Keshavan, who lives in Himachal Pradesh, once told AFP in an interview. “So what if they don’t know what a luge is.”
While winter sports struggle for publicity in the cricket-mad country, Keshavan is something of a cult hero.
‘Slumdog Millionaire’ actress Freida Pinto is among a group of Bollywood stars who have raised nearly $15,000 to enable Keshavan to compete on a world-class sled in Russia.
2012
Two medals in Asia Cup luge
Shiva Keshavan bags two medals in Asia Cup luge, January 5, 2006, updated: March 26, 2012: The Hindu
In a major boost ahead of next month's Winter Olympics in Turin, Indian luge athlete Shiva Keshavan has bagged his first international medals at the Asia Cup in Nagano, Japan.
Keshavan, who made his Olympic debut on the same track eight years ago, won the bronze medal in the singles and then teamed up with Korea's Kim Min Kyu to claim a silver in the doubles event held on Christmas eve last year.
Keshavan was placed fourth after the first heats in the singles but managed to grab the bronze with a good time in the second heat.
Keshavan's podium finish came at an event where 21 of Asia's top luge athletes from Japan, South Korea, China and Taiwan were in the fray.
2016
Braves serious injury to win Asian Luge Championship gold
In the Asian Luge Championship, Shiva Keshavan braved an injury to win gold in Nagano, Japan
India’s first Winter Olympian Shiva Keshavan braved an injury to win gold at the Asian Luge Championship in Nagano, Japan on Friday.
The 35-year-old Shiva Keshavan dominated the event and finished the Asian Luge Championship race with a time of 1 minute, 39.962 seconds and top speed of 130.4 km/h to clinch the title.
Japan’s Tanaka Shohei came in second with a combined time of 1:44.874 seconds and top speed of 124.6 kmph, while the bronze medal went to Chinese Taipei’s Lien Te-An, who clocked 1:45.120 with a 126.3 kmph top speed.
The Manali-born Keshavan also suffered tendon damage on his left foot after a crash which broke his sled and as a result, he had to miss a major part of the official training for the Asian Luge championship event.
But, it did not cause any problem for the veteran winter Olympian as Shiva Keshavan dominated the competition to win his third gold medal at the Asian Luge Championships.
Keshavan expressed his joy through his official Facebook page, saying, “Thrilled to announce that I’ve just own GOLD at the Luge Asian Championships 2016! Details Soon! :) ”
It was also a brilliant end to 2016 for the 5-time Winter Olympian as earlier this year, Shiva was forced to withdraw from the 2016 World Championships due to lack of funds.
“I was determined to not let anything deter me from the gold medal this time, so despite all the obstacles I decided to risk everything in the race. I want to express my deepest gratitude to all my supporters and sponsors Mallcom Ltd., Hero Electronix, Hero Fincorp and Micromax, without whom I would not have been able to get back on track and win this medal for India,” Shiva said.
Shiva Keshavan is slated to take part in the 2017 World Championship in Innsbruck, Austria and will compete in the World Cup circuit in the lead up to the qualification process for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Korea.
