Vikas Gowda (born 5 July 1983) is a former Indian discus thrower and a four-time Olympian. Born in Mysore and raised in Frederick, he is the son of Shive Gowda, who coached the Indian track team at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. He was the 2006 US NCAA National Champion in discus throw.Tar Heels' Vikas Gowda wins discus title. Tar Heel Times (10 June 2006) Gowda won the discus throw event at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, becoming the second Indian man to win a Commonwealth gold in athletics—56 years after Milkha Singh. He is a two-time Asian champion, having won gold medals at the 2013 and 2015 editions of the Asian Championships. Gowda also made history as the first Indian to finish on the podium at a Diamond League meet, a feat matched by only two other Indian athletes as of 2025. In recognition of his achievements, he was honoured with the Arjuna Award in 2014 and the Padma Shri in 2017. Gowda announced his retirement from competitive athletics in 2018 to focus on his corporate career.
International competitions Representing 2002World Junior ChampionshipsKingston, Jamaica8thShot put (6 kg)19.30 m12thDiscus (1.75 kg)54.46 m2004Olympic Games Athens, Greece15thDiscus61.39 m2005Asian ChampionshipsIncheon, South Korea2ndDiscus62.84 m2006Commonwealth GamesMelbourne, Australia 5thShot put18.46 m 6thDiscus60.08 mAsian GamesDoha, Qatar6thDiscus58.28 m2008Olympic Games Beijing, China22ndDiscus60.69 m2010Asian GamesGuangzhou, China3rdDiscus63.13 mCommonwealth GamesNew Delhi, India2ndDiscus63.69 m2011Asian ChampionshipsKobe, Japan2ndDiscus61.58 mWorld ChampionshipsDaegu, South Korea7thDiscus64.05 m2012Olympic GamesLondon, United Kingdom8thDiscus64.79 m2013Asian ChampionshipsPune, India1stDiscus64.90 m2014Commonwealth GamesGlasgow, United Kingdom1stDiscus63.64 mAsian GamesIncheon, South Korea2ndDiscus62.58 m2015Asian ChampionshipsWuhan, China1stDiscus62.03 mWorld ChampionshipsBeijing, China9thDiscus62.24 m2016Olympic GamesRio de Janeiro, Brazil28th (q)Discus58.99 m2017Asian ChampionshipsBhubaneswar, India3rdDiscus60.81 m
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