In a major boost ahead of next month's Winter Olympics in Turin, Indian luge athlete Shiva Keshavan 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 with Korea's Kim Min Kyu to claim a silver in the doubles event, held on Christmas eve last year.
"It was an extremely satisfying result as I have made a mark in Asia, where more nations are taking up this sport. It has also given me an opportunity to measure myself against athletes who do not have a big advantage on me as far as material and equipment is concerned," the Florence-based athlete said.
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.
But the 24-year-old athlete was not satisfied with the condition of the ice on the artificial track and felt he could have performed even better.
"I have had better timings on this track before. If conditions had been different, it would have been my fastest time," he said.
The sole Indian representative in the previous two editions of the Winter Olympics, Keshavan is one of the few Indians to have taken up luge -- a high-speed sled ride through a semi-circular tunnel of ice and a Winter Olympic sport since 1964.
Unfortunately, Keshavan's performance at Nagano would have no bearing on his current World luge ranking of 51, since the rankings are solely determined by results at World Cup events.
"I have missed out on a couple of races that were important for the overall standings," he said.
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.
Home favourites Japan continued its domination of the sport in Asia with Shigeyaki Ushijima and Takahisa Oguchi finishing first and second in the singles while Hayashibe Goro and Masaki Toshiro took the honours in the doubles event.
But Keshavan knows that to win a coveted Olympic medal for India, he would have to beat several European athletes who dominate the world rankings.
His performances at recent Nations Cup events at Turin, Sigulda (Latvia) and Lake Placid (US) have been comparatively lackluster, his best result coming at Lake Placid with a 14th-place finish.
Keshavan had been struggling to find his form but his performance at Nagano has helped him regain his confidence at a crucial time.
"I am now focussing on the Olympic Games. My new coach Yann Fricheteau has changed my schedule and wants to emphasise more on training than competition so we have time to make
experiments and make changes to my sled to make it faster," he says.
Keshavan has been following a rigorous schedule with three training sessions a day to help him achieve top form in time for the Olympics.
"I have been doing ice training in the morning and afternoon, and power training in the evening.
"Ice training means practicing the luge run on the ice track or just training for the start which is one of the most important parts of the run. Power training is done in the gym," he said.
Keshavan also came to India last year to try out more traditional forms of physical training, including those associated with martial arts in his home state.
"My training in Kerala consisted of Kallaripayattu exercises, massages and other techniques based on the Kallari way of life. The stint increased my flexibility and boosted my confidence," he said.
He also met Union Sports Minister Oscar Fernandes, who assured the young athlete government support.
"The minister also asked me to help in building a programme to promote the sport in India for future generations," said Keshavan.
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