Shiva Keshavan was born on 25 August 1981 in Manali, Himachal Pradesh. Keshavan is the first Indian representative to compete in luge at the Winter Olympic Games. and is a six-time Olympian. He has set a new Asian speed record at a speed of 134.3 km/h. Keshavan promotes winter sports in India, he has trained many children. Shiva Keshavan won the gold medal at the 2011 Asian Luge Cup in Nagano, Japan.
Shiv Keshavan Personal Life
Keshav was born in Manali and did his schooling in Manali itself. He attended The Lawrence School, Sanawar. Shiva’s father was from Kerala and his mother is Italian. His parents met while backpacking in the Himalayas in the 1970s. Now he lives in Manali, Himachal Pradesh. And runs an Italian restaurant. Keshav has studied Humanities and Political Science. and received a master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Florence. He is married to Namita Agarwal, who was his former classmate in school. Keshavan likes to spend time promoting winter sports in India and training young athletes. A grassroots luge camp in India was organized by Keshavan in 2009 for young athletes interested in winter sports. Keshavan was selected to make the junior national luge team to train in Japan. And since then nearly 200 Indian children have attended his training camps.
Training
Keshavan used to borrow sleds for his races early in his career. In 2006, he did not compete for two seasons due to a lack of funds. Keshavan gets money from crowdfunding on the internet. And if you noticed, at the 2014 Sochi Games, they had the names of 50,000 donors on their uniforms. In 2002, the Italian luge team offered Keshavan full use of their coaches and training facilities. But he did not accept the offer. Keshavan wants to continue representing India. His dream is to bring the Olympics to his hometown.
Career
Keshavan was fond of skiing since childhood. He began skiing as a child and won the Junior National Ski Championships in 1995 at the age of 14. Keshavan was selected as a promising young athlete. and became the youngest person to officially qualify for the Olympic Games in luge, competing at the 1998 Nagano Games at the age of 16. Indian Olympic Association. Shiva collaborated with Duncan Kennedy in 2014 to train for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
He qualified for his sixth and final Olympics in 2018. He finished 34th out of 40 athletes in the men’s singles event. In 2014, Shiv Keshavan became the Founder-President of the Olympians Association of India and is committed to supporting the Olympic Movement in India. Shiva now aims to promote winter sports in India and create an ecosystem to produce more athletes competing at the highest level. People salute their hard work and dedication.
Awards and Achievements
Shiva Keshavan has been awarded the Arjuna Award, the first winter sports athlete to win the award in 2020. Winner of NDTV Outstanding Performer of the Year Award in 2012. Gold medal in the 2011 and 2012 Asian Luge Cup. Silver Medal, 2009 Asian Luge Cup. Bronze medal in the 2005 and 2008 Asian Luge Cup. Youngest luge Olympian in history – 1998 Winter Olympics. and Member of Athletes Commission and Ethics Committee with Indian Olympic Association State Sports Council, Himachal Pradesh.
