Top discus thrower Vikas Gowda today retired after competing at the highest level for more than 15 years, during which he became the first and only Indian male to win a Commonwealth Games medal in the discipline.
The retirement of the four-time Olympian, who will turn 35 on July 5, has not come as a surprise as he has not taken part in any major international event since winning a bronze in the Asian Championships last year in Bhubaneswar.
His retirement was announced by the Athletics Federation of India on its twitter page after Gowda sent the AFI a letter, declaring his intent to call it quits.
"After a lot of thinking and consulting, I have decided to retire from athletics. I do not want to punish my body anymore and I want to focus on the next phase of my life," said Gowda, who is based in the United States.
"It was an honour and privilege to represent India and I will forever miss it."
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