Gowda ends lowly eighth at London Olympics

LONDON: When it mattered the most, Vikas Gowda let himself and the country down. India's top discus thrower recorded a 65.20m attempt to qualify but in the final round, the 29-year-old failed to cross the 64.79m mark and finished a disappointing eighth in men's discus throw event at the Olympic Stadium on Tuesday.
The US-based Gowda's first attempt of 64.79m turned out to be his best throw as he seemed disconcerted with the cold conditions and the intermittent drizzle in London.
The Indian managed to remain in the top eight after the first three throws and got the customary six attempts but failed to capitalize on that to improve his performance and reach anywhere near his personal best of 66.28m.
Germany's Robert Harting took gold recording a distance of 68.27m while Iran's Ehsan Hadadi took silver with a throw of 68.18. Defending champ Gerd Kanter of Estonia had to be content with the bronze with a season's best of 68.03m.