Great personalities we don't know of series - 1-Shiva_Keshavan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva_Keshavan

Shiva Keshavan (full name Shiva Keshavan K P; born August 25, 1981) is the first Indian representative to compete in luge at the Winter Olympic Games. He set a new Asian speed record at 134.3 kmph after beating previous record of 131.9 kmph and won gold medal in Asia Cup 2011 at Nagano in Japan.

Contents   [hide]  1 Background and education 2 Luge career 3 Sport and achievements 4 Other activities 5 References 6 External links

[edit]Background and education

Keshavan is the son of an Indian father from the state of Kerala and an Italian mother. He was born and brought up in the Himalayas (growing up in Manali, Himachal Pradesh) and attended The Lawrence School Sanawar.^{[citation needed]} He is married to Namita Agarwal, a former classmate at Sanawar, who is also his sports manager.

He studied humanities and political science from 'Cesare Alfieri' University of Florence and received a Master's degree in International relations from the University of Florence. He picked up luge when he was selected at a Training Camp in Himachal, at the age of 15.^[1]

He resides and trains in the north Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, on the foothills of the Himalayas and the home of winter sports in the country. He was (in his words), "offered to represent Italy" in 2002, but refused because "I am an Indian and want to contribute to the country that I was born in".

India seems to be warming up to the idea that it can compete in winter sports: Keshavan was supported by the Indian Government for the Olympic Season of 2009-10 and for the first time, he could afford a Coach. He was being proudly sponsored till February 2010 by SWISS International Airlines and Limca Book of Records. Reebok and MTS are currently sponsoring him A luge camp was held in India by Keshavan last summer for 50 young athletes interested in trying the sport.^[2] 10 were selected to train in Japan, a grassroots developmental initiative of Keshavan's, along with the Indian Amateur Luge Association.

A few days before the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, Keshavan's sled broke during training. Because he was one-third of India's entire Winter Olympics team, there were not enough resources to fix Keshavan's sled until five of India's leading lawyers chipped in a total of $10,000 U.S. to get the luger some more equipment.^[3]

[edit]Luge career

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2011)

Keshavan's interest in winter sports began at a very young age, being born in a remote village of the Himalayas. His earliest memories of winter sports are when Keshavan and his friends used to make their own skis using wood and metal sheets to play during the winter months. During summer Keshavan and his friends used to prepare roller sleds with wood and bearings to speed down the mountain roads. Adventure sports were an important part of the childhood for Keshavan since his father ran one of the oldest adventure travel agencies in the Himalayas, Pan Man Travels, from 1985.

The passion for adventure sports turned into competitive spirit as the Kullu Valley gradually grew into a hub for adventure and winter sports in India. Keshavan was a dedicated skier and went on to win the Junior National Ski Championship in 1995 at the age of 14.

In that year he attended a luge camp conducted by world champion Gunter Lemmerer. Lemmerer had been appointed by the International Luge Federation (FIL) to find talented luge pilots in countries that had no presence on the international circuit. Keshavan was selected as a promising young athlete and given the opportunity to prove his talent on an international stage. He showed his potential as a luge pilot and went on to become the youngest person to ever qualify for the Olympic Games in luge.

Keshavan has represented India in various international events creating numerous Indian, Asian and World Records along the way.

[edit]Sport and achievements

• Asian Gold Medalist, Asia Cup, Nagano 2011
• Asian Speed Record Holder - 134.3 kmph
• Luge Pilot, representing India internationally since 1997
• Youngest ever luge (men's category) Olympian (at 16 years old) and Sole Indian representative at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, where he placed 28th.
• Sole Indian representative at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, USA where he placed 33rd.
• Indian representative at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy where he placed 25th.
• Indian representative at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada where he placed 31st after the first run and 28th in the second run.
• Asian Silver Medalist, Asian Championships, Nagano 2009-10
• Asian Bronze Medalist, Asian Championships, Nagano 2008-09
• Personal Best - 14th place at the Nations cup in Altenberg, January 2009
• Top Speed - 149.9 km/h (Vancouver Speed Record)

[edit]Other activities

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2011)

Keshavan has been promoting the cause of winter sports in India and has often spoken about the problems hindering its development there.

Keshavan has conducted Talent search camps together with the Indian Amateur Luge Association (IALA) and played an important role in developing the Junior National team.

Keshavan runs a consultancy, LINK Overseas Consulting, which he founded along with his wife Namita and two friends from his university days in Italy.

While not working or training, Keshavan loves outdoor activities and spends time trekking in the Himalayas or practicing Kalaripayattu, an ancient martial art and family tradition. He is passionate about physical fitness and living a natural lifestyle.