India is full of surprises they often say! And this story would surprise many. iSport is proud to bring to its readers India's lone ranger in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, Shiva Keshavan. Kunal Shah talks to India's only 'luge pilot'.
Shiva Keshavan - I asked a few friends if they had heard of that name and most said 'eh! what'? Only one said, I think I have heard of him, but he too wasn't sure of it. I will stay away from stating the unfortunate state of affairs for Indian athletes. Rather lets get together on iSport and celebrate India's participation at the Winter Games. (typical iSport style!)
Being a motorhead, I had a good time speaking to Shiva. His car is a 'sledge' that has no wheels. It slides on ice and has no motor! The only time I have been without a motor is in a sailboat. But like me you too wonder what sliding on ice is all about? What on earth is luging? And why only ONE out of a billion of us is actually participating in it. All that and more in this heart-to-heart chat with Shiva Keshavan.
iSport: Luging, not many Indians know of it as a sport and we would like to thank you for publicizing it. But can you explain what this sport actually is and entails the rider to do?
Shiva: Luge is basically a sophisticated form of sledging. The athlete lies on his back on the sled in an aerodynamic position and steers the sled down an ice canal using his feet, handles and body weight. The pilot has to negotiate the 15-20 turns of the 1500 mts long course at high speeds of over 150kmph and face over 7 times the forge of gravity in certain points.
iSport: Not many Indians have had the guts to pursue off-beat sports. What triggered you to pursue Luging? Even more so when most other non-cricketing athletes struggle to make a living from their sporting pursuits.
Shiva: I have just followed my own passion and not what the mass follows. Everyone should look for their own way in life and although one may face greater hardships, the satisfactions are much more! Only a handful make a living out of Cricket .. soon other sports will start getting the same recognition. Sports can truly become a way of life and can contribute to a higher standard of living for many young people.
iSport: 2006 – you almost gave up Luging! What made you come back to the sport?
Shiva: I never gave it up, I was only kept away from the circuit because of the lack of funds. Once Swiss International Airlines and Limca Book of records stepped in there was no problem anymore. This year even the Sports ministry is supporting me!
iSport: Your highest high? And lowest low? (Most memorable moment!)
Shiva: This year was full of ups and downs. I got the best ever result for India with the silver medal at the Asian championship which was a fantastic experience! Immediately after that I unfortunately got a bad back injury which hampered a lot of my plans for this year. However, I hope I’m able to participate in the Olympic games without further problems.
iSport: You’ve been Luging since 1996. How has your journey been so far?
Shiva: As you can imagine it was a eventful journey. Luge has taken me places and heights where I could have never dreamt of reaching otherwise. I am grateful for this opportunity I was given by destiny and I only hope that other youngsters are able to pick up different kind of sports that will open newer horizons.
iSport: The 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics will also make you one of India’s only 4 time Olympian athletes. What are your expectations?
Shiva: I hope to participate to the best of my ability since I am still recovering from my injury. My aim this year was to come within the top 20 and I will still give it my best in order to achieve it.
As with me, Hakimuddin Habibula, Shiva's manager is one hopeful Indian too. "We at GoSports understand the challenges faced by top athletes in India and have focused our energies on helping these athletes find their right place in India's sporting ecosystem. Shiva has, over the years, achieved a lot despite many challenges thrown at him. We endeavor to assist him get the best opportunities both on and off the racing track. Considering that only in the last couple of months he has got some financial assistance to help him with his training and equipment, I would say that it would be realistic and highly creditable if he finishes in the top 20."
iSport: Vancouver Winter Olympics – how are your preparations? What kind of training do Luge pilots undergo?
Shiva: I have been training full time on ice ever since September 2009. Prior to that I have followed a physical training program. Our training is aimed at giving us explosive power for the start and technical ability to pilot the sled down the track.
iSport: You have already been talent scouting for Luge pilots in India. Can you tell us more on your efforts to promote the sport in India?
Shiva: I have tried to recreate the situation that enabled me to begin this sport. Anybody interested in taking part is welcome. Other than that I have prepared a Luge Development program along with the IALA (Indian Amateur Luge Association) to conduct various talent scout camps all over the Himalayan regions and send talented athletes for training abroad that aimed at grooming a young national team.
iSport: Bronze at last year’s Asian Championships. What is your next aim?
Shiva: I won the Silver medal at the Asians this winter. I would like to get the Gold next time round!
iSport: Luging is a fast sport. Any speed and G force numbers that you’d like to share with us?
Shiva: Vancouver is the fastest track in the world and I am looking forward to cross 150km/h .
iSport: What top speed have you achieved? And top G forces?
Shiva: 149 km/h is the fastest I have reached so far. As for G force it is not uncommon to reach 6-7 g’s on some corners
iSport: Any major sponsors / investors who you would like to thank?
Shiva: Swiss International Airlines and Limca Book of records have been wonderful and have helped me realize my dreams. Reebok has been supplying me the training gear this year. A lot of private individuals have offered their support and energy and some have even donated sums of money for training or equipment like the Supreme Court lawyers this January. A special thanks to the Sports Ministry that has begun to support me for the first time. This will surely make a big difference in my training regime.
iSport: How does one start Luging in India? Any pointers you’d like to share with iSport’s interested Lugers?
Shiva: Feel free to contact me at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
if you want to try!
iSport: Message to your iSport fans!
Shiva: Follow your dreams. There is nothing you cannot achieve if you dedicate yourself!
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a guest
said:
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... The writer of this piece doesn't even know the right word for the sport. The sport is called luge and not luging, the person doing the sport is called a slider or luge pilot, he lies on a sled and not sledge. The writer of this piece is notorious for plagiarising. |
a guest
said:
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... and yeah mr shah lives in his own time warped world. shiva is not the only indian in Vancouver. tashi lundup will take part in cross country skiing and jamyang namgyal will take part in the alpine skiing event. as a platform that disseminates information on a public platform, it will be better served to keep away dubious characters like shah from writing spurious information. at least that much you owe to your readers. |
Kunal Shah
said:
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... Shiva is the only luger and that is what is mentioned in the corrected piece. However, thanks for bringing it to my notice. As for luge - yes that is what the sport is called. Luging is the correct word here too. A 'luge pilot' & 'slider' are all alternatives just like 'batsman' and 'batter'. These were all double checked before use. Ditto with 'sled' and 'sledge'. Plagiarizing? Well, this is an iSport original. If you've read this elsewhere, you could tell me where it is. There is enough proof that the iSport editorials have to prove that this mail is not what you claim for it to be. Cheerio! |
Asif Khan
said:
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... Dear Mr Guest, on a free medium and in a free country you have the right to make all the accusations that you can, except one! We are not plagiarists! We do not copy content, We took the effort to interview the guy and you can confirm with him and his manager. It's easy to point fingers at others than actually do anything. |
a guest
said:
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... Wooo...hooo...there is some very intense conversation here. I liked this article. It gave a glimpse of Indian sports going further than cricket. Cheers!! Binal |
Kunal Shah
said:
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... Thanks Binal. Just like Indian fans, iSport too is going further than cricket. Don't mind the intense conversation - its always fun to connect with hard core sporting fans!  |
Asif Khan
said:
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... Take a look at the following link, the athletes can be called Lugers too, http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/olympics/article7026971.ece Silly and pointless accusations |
Priya Bhat
said:
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... @ Kunal and iSport - Thanks for bringing to my notice this adventurous and courageous sport! I watched a bit of it on TV following this. The thought of humans bodies daring to even step on and fly down a stretch ice at 70+ mph is absolutely enthralling! Having grown in a family who have always been hard core cricket or football fans never heard much about other sports! Thanks. @ Asif - That was an enlightening piece on timesonline.co.uk! Thanks for sharing. I wonder if our dear guest put up these comments on the times website and tried preaching their writers too, because they too seem to have used similar terms as in this piece! :-) For some readers, it seems to be an idea of fun to be argumentative just for the sake of being so. It's fairly easy to google few terms, leaf through few search results, come back and put up a comment and undermine a writer's own research and efforts. They might take pride in doing so. Good for them. But it's another thing to appreciate people who actually "take pains in doing something". Cheers to iSport and all its writers! |
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