Indian luger Shiva Keshavan today said that he has moved on from the below-par effort at the Sochi Winter Olympic Games and wants to focus on training this season to improve his performance in future international competitions.
"My focus this season would be on training rather than competitions. I want to develop my skills further so that I can reap maximum from the equipment (sled) I have. I want to get as much ice-time as possible to improve on my timings," Keshavan told PTI in an interview.
"Obviously, Sochi didn't went well for me. It was little disappointing. The new set up (for sled) backfired and had a bad crash. But I have moved on from that disappointing finish," he said.
At Sochi, Keshavan endured his worst performance across his five Winter Olympic appearances since 1998, finishing a lowly 37th among 39 competitors.
However, the 32-year-old has not lost motivation and said there was no reason why he should not plan for his sixth Olympics in 2018 at Pyeongchang, South Korea.
"The silver medallist in my event is 42 years old (Albert Demchenko of Russia) and the bronze medal winner was 40 (Armin Zoeggeler of Italy). These guys are role model for me. I draw inspiration from them. I will be just 36 in 2018. The goal is to keep improving," he insisted.
"I am fit and feel strong. I have lot to look forward to."
Keshavan said the support he got from various quarters in the build up to the quadrennial event was heartening and could be an indication of better times to come for winter sports in India.
"It was very delightful to get support from fans and sponsors. I got a lot of mails and communication from people who want their kids to be a luge athlete. This is surely a sign towards changing times. I hope it is the first step towards development of winter sports in India," said Keshavan.
