UNC alum Vikas Gowda Becomes First Indian Athlete to Win Commonwealth Gold in 56 Years

Posted Aug 1, 2014
Discus thrower Vikas Gowda broke a 56-year jinx, toasting with gold alongside wrestlers Yogeshwar Dutt and Babita Kumari, as India snaked up to the fifth spot in the medal race at the Commonwealth Games here Thursday. Gowda, born in Mysore, lives in Frederick, Md., and an alumnus of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. (India West)

Related: Track & Field

Three Tar Heels Competing At 2026 U-20 World Athletics Championships
UNC has three athletes representing the Tar Heels at the U20 World Athletics Championships this week in Eugene, Ore. Tori Goodson is representing Team USA...
Wed Aug 5, 2026

UNC Student-Athletes Left 'Figuring it Out' Upon NCAA’s 5-for-5 Ruling
Carter Loftin was at practice when he learned that his college diving career could last another year. The incoming senior expected that his competitive clock...
Tue Aug 4, 2026

UNC Track and Field’s Anna Keefer Becomes WWE’s Adriana Rizzo
Five-time UNC All-America track and field athlete, Anna Keefer, is now known globally by WWE fans as "Adriana Rizzo," but swapping the track for the...
Tue Aug 4, 2026

Newsletter: UNC Basketball Explores Wild New Portal Window, Football Opens Camp Amid Investigation
UNC Football kicked off training camp this past week, but the headlines weren’t about touchdowns. Basketball had its own bombshell: a court ruling reopened eligibility...
Mon Aug 3, 2026