India’s Vikas Gowda on Friday failed to qualify in the men’s discus throw qualifying round at the Rio Olympics here. Gowda secured the 28th position among 35 athletes.
“My performance was not very good today. It's frustrating. Just had a lot of bad luck this year. Lot of injuries,” a dejected Gowda told THE WEEK after the match.
He said he had not been able to undergo training until three-four weeks ago. “Obviously, that was not enough time to prepare,” he said.
Gowda threw 57.59 metres and only 58.99 in his first attempt. He managed a paltry 58.70m throw in his third attempt, which was way below the desired mark.
"I tore both quad-tendons of my knees. Right above the kneecap, earlier in the year. It did progress, so I had to take a break from training. So, not enough enough time," said the 33-year-old.
Gowda, a gold-winner in the 2014 Commonwealth Games, said: “I have quad-tendons with 20-30 per cent tears. Wear and tear from over the years. From travelling, training and competing. Should be better with rest, I think.”
He said that he had “abused” his body and that he was paying for it now.
“Perhaps too early to talk about future plans. Most likely, take the rest of the year off. Just let the body fully heal. I have never really taken any time off in the last six-seven years. And, I have abused my body a little bit during this period. Paying for it now. So, if I take four to six weeks off… I’ll assess it from there,” said Gowda.
