Gowda suffers injury, Olympic participation subject to fitness

New Delhi, July 12: Reigning Asian champion discus thrower Vikas Gowda has suffered a shoulder injury and his participation in the upcoming Rio Olympics is subject to fitness, the Athletics Federation of India said on Tuesday.

AFI president Adille Sumariwalla said that Gowda’s father had informed the federation that the ace discus thrower, who will be taking part in his fourth Olympics in Rio, has suffered a “minor” shoulder injury but he will be fine for the Games. The men’s discus throw event of Rio Olympics is scheduled on August 12.

The 33- year- old Gowda, who also won a gold in the 2014 Commonwealth Games, is based in the United States and he has not taken part in any competitive event since making the Rio cut in December last year, that also after the world governing body IAAF reduced the qualification standard to 65m from 66m.

“I have spoken to Gowda’s father and he said his son has suffered a minor shoulder injury. I cannot send a doctor to US and assess Gowda’s injury. I have to believe in what his father says. His father says it’s a minor injury and he should be fine for Olympics. I have to believe in that,” Sumariwalla said.

“He ( Gowda) will have to prove his fitness sometime before the start of Olympics. It will not be a trial but he will have to prove that he is fit to take part in Olympics. Gowda will undergo some kind of throwing session from which we can know he is fit. We will get to know this from his father and the coach,” he said.