The 22-year-old boxer from Haryana is mature enough to understand the difference between winning a medal and just putting up his best performance, writes Y. B. Sarangi.
From an enthusiastic teenager to a mature boxer, the journey has been a learning experience for Vijender Kumar. The 22-year-old boxer is India’s best bet in the ring in the Beijing Olympics. Four years ago in Athens, he was just another sportsman who represented India for the sake of gaining the National colours. Now, heading into his second Olympics, the Haryana boxer is all keyed up. He is also mature enough to understand the difference between winning a medal and just putting up his best performance.
“Then I was very young, participating in the Olympics was a big thing for me. I did not have much experience. But this time, I am fully prepared and have been training with the aim of winning a medal. I am feeling more confident now,” said Vijender, who was eliminated in the first round in Athens.
The boxer from Bhiwani, who graduated from lightwelter to middleweight, tried to justify his claim. “In these four years I have participated in a lot of tournaments and learnt a lot,” he said.’
A silver medal in the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, a bronze in the Doha Asian Games and gold medals in the SAF Games, Asian qualifiers in Kazakhstan and Chemistry Cup in Germany bear testimony to his ability.
The fact that he had defeated the Athens Olympics gold medallist, Bakhtiyar Artayev of Kazakhstan, in the President’s Cup in Chinese Taipei has given Vijender immense confidence.
Given a chance, would he wish to face the Olympic gold medallist again?
“Yes, of course,” said Vijender. “That win really boosted me and gave me a lot of self-confidence. Bakhtiyar has qualified for the Olympics. If we meet, I am keen to beat him once more.”
Is the nation’s expectation weighing on his mind?
“To tell the truth, the pressure is there. Because everybody says I can win a medal. My coach, parents, friends, countrymen, everyone thinks I can do it, so it’s there. But, I think there is a bright chance for me and I should focus on that,” Vijender said.
He acknowledged that the training camps held before the Olympics have benefited him immensely as he had been able to work on his skills, strength and footwork. But he believed that the main aspect of training that will help him is the video analysis of his prospective opponents.
“I have quite a lot of videos of the boxers from other countries and after qualifying for the Olympics in March I have studied them thoroughly. I have videos from Australia, Germany, Maldives, Ecuador… it’s a long list.”
According to Gurbax Singh Sandhu, the chief coach of the Olympic-bound Indian boxing team, the composure of Vijender should help him a great deal. “He is a cool guy who watches his opponent calmly and tries to beat his strong points. His straight punches are deadly. On his day, he can beat any boxer in the world,” said Sandhu.
If Sandhu’s words come true in Beijing, then India will proudly exhibit its first ever Olympic medal in boxing.
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