11 February,2014 01:41 AM IST | | AFP
After finishing a dismal 37th in the luge event at Sochi, luger vows to come back and 'destroy' rivals in his sixth Games in 2018
India's Shiva Keshavan during the luge singles run at the Sanki Sliding Center on Sunday. Pic/AFP
Rosa Khutor: Shiva Keshavan is named after the Hindu god known as the "destroyer" and after finishing 37th in the Olympics, the Indian has vowed to come back in four years time and wreak havoc on the luge.
India's Shiva Keshavan during the luge singles run at the Sanki Sliding Center on Sunday. Pic/AFP
"I need to destroy the opposition for the next Olympics," joked Keshavan. "In India almost everybody is named after a god or something because there are so many. Maybe I've got powers but I've not yet discovered them."
He may be 32 and competing in his fifth Olympics but Keshavan says there is more, and better, to come.
"I know that I've still got quite a bit of fight left in me and I can still get stronger," said Keshavan, who had to compete as an independent in Sochi after the Indian Olympic Association was suspended by the IOC. "That's important, I still have the will to perform better."
Keshavan, like Tonga's Bruno Banani, became something of a fans'favourite in Sochi, not least because of the novelty of seeing an Indian racing down a luge track.
He took up luge after being scouted by the International Luge Federation following a visit to India by a former world champion. In a country as cricket-mad as India, Keshavan is hoping his 15 minutes of fame will help to inspire a nation.
'Surprised at publicity'
"I'm surprised at the amount of interest and publicity this has got back in India and I hope this translates into better facilities, not just for me but for the future generation of athletes.
"It's very important, we're a big country and it's very good that we're playing cricket, we're doing well. But I think there are many other sports that we can take up. There's a lot more opportunities for people so I think it's a good development."
