Previewing Vikas Gowda's chances at IAAF World Championship finals

Standing at a mammoth 6 feet and 9 inches tall, Vikas Gowda carries on his broad shoulders the hopes of more than a billion at the ongoing IAAF World Athletics Championships in Moscow.

The US-based Indian discus thrower, who won silver at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, recorded a throw of 63.64 metres in his first attempt in the qualification round at the iconic Luzhniki Stadium on Monday, enough to send the 30-year-old to the finals which will take place on Tuesday.

And while he disappointed with his other two throws, Gowda was able to finish fourth in Group A and seventh overall, leaving him one good throw away from a medal at the prestigious championships.

Having finished in a respectable 8th place at the 2012 summer Olympics, the World Championships will provide Gowda a chance to add more credibility to his growing name as one of the best discus throwers in the world circuit. Here is the lowdown on who he will be facing, and what his chances are on Tuesday:

Competitors

Discus Throw (Men) | Infographics

One of Gowda’s biggest competitors will be German athlete Robert Harting, who won gold at the 2012 summer Olympics in London with a throw of 68.27. Harting, who holds a personal best of 70.66, recorded the longest throw of the preliminaries on Monday (66.62 metres).

Another massive contender for the title at the World Championships will be Estonian thrower Gerd Kanter, who in 2006 set the third longest throw ever recorded in the history of the event with 73.38 metres. However, his season’s best still lies at 66.97, which is just a tad higher than Gowda’s personal best.

Piotr Malachowski, a silver medallist at the 2008 summer Olympics, has been in great form this year, throwing a season best of 71.84 metres, and will surely be one of the names to look out for in the 12-man finals.

Form

Vikas Gowda goes into the event high on form, having won gold at the Asian Athletics Championships last month. In fact, he was one of only two gold medallists at the event held in Pune, recording an impressive distance of 64.90 metres.

“It has to be my biggest achievement (of my career),” Gowda said after clinching the top spot. “Winning silver in front of a huge crowd in the Commonwealth Games was one of my most memorable moments, but this gold is surely on top of everything.

“I have been trying for the last so many years. All the hard work of the last 10-15 years has paid off.”

Gowda also finished in an impressive 4th place in the prestigious IAAF Diamond League athletics series in Paris last month, missing the medal spots by just a few centimetres.

The final word

The field might be tough, but given Gowda’s good run of form coming into the tournament, a top-three berth, and a first medal for India at the World Championships, might be a possibility. Gowda finished seventh in the overall standings during qualification, and with a better throw in the finals, could be in contention for the podium.

The 6’9″ athlete has already done the country proud with his performances around the world. Let’s hope that he can add another feather to his cap on Tuesday.

Vikas Gowda factfile

Silver – Asian Championships, 2005Silver – Commonwealth Games, 2010Bronze – Asian Games, 20108th – IAAF World Championships, 2011Silver – Asian Championships, 20118th – Olympic Games, 2012Bronze – New York Grand Prix, 2012 (first Indian to win medal in Diamond League)4th – IAAF Diamond League, 2012Gold – Asian Championships, 2013

Here is Vikas Gowda at the 2010 Commonwealth Games: