SPORTS

Vijender Singh

Leading the Golden Times of Indian Boxing

While 2009 saw him being honoured with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, January 2010 saw him being honoured with the Padma Shri for his contribution to the sport of boxing. For the six foot tall Haryana policeman, there couldn't have been a better year than 2010.

Gp Capt Achchyut Kumar

Son of a bus driver of the Haryana Roadways, Vijender has a legitimate grouse that in India no other game other than cricket gets much sponsorship but then it is men like Vijender who would have paved the ways for changes to come into sports sponsorships; after all, no one backs a loser. Sponsorships have followed the Indian boxers' success and it could all mark the beginning of a new era in Indian boxing.

Born into a rather poor family on October 29, 1985, it has been a tough climb for Vijender to wherever the middleweight (75 kg) Indian boxer has reached today. A supporting family and a sacrificing brother are an integral and important part of Vijender's success story. However, since even that was not good enough, part time modelling became a good means to support the boxer's aspiration. No wonder, Vijender's idols are a mix of boxers Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali, boxing promoter Don King and actor Sylvester Stallone.

While practicing at the Bhiwani Boxing Club, Vijender was spotted by coach Jagdish Singh as a potential talent. Still short of being called a teenager, Vijender came under the spotlight when he won a bout in a state championship. In 1997, he won a silver medal at the sub-junior nationals and won his first national gold medal three years later. Another three years saw our hero as the All-India Youth Boxing Champion which followed with his winning a silver medal at the Afro-Asian Games; Vijender, still a junior, had begun to make his mark in the world of seniors.

“Thanks to the media, people have started taking boxing
seriously over the past two years. Everyone knows my
name now because my achievements have been
highlighted. Lekin boxing ka toh kuch promotion hi nahin
hota India mein. I have lost count of the times I have
approached the government and the sporting authorities
for support, but nothing has happened. In this country,
everyone is hung up on cricket. Forget about boxing,
India is doing so well in other sports too. Saina Nehwal
is a great badminton player, the Indian tennis team has
just won a Davis Cup tie, lekin hamare liye support
kahan hai?”

Vijender Singh in an interview with
the Kolkata Telegraph

By the year 2006, Vijender Singh was competing in international events in the Welterweight category and won a silver medal at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games. With some further increase in his stature, Vijender moved into the middleweight category and won a bronze at the Doha Asian Games. Vijender carried his form to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games as well as the 2009 Milan World Amateur Boxing Championships and won a bronze at both the meets.

It is after his continued successes that Vijender has started getting recognition and national awards. While 2009 saw him being honoured with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, the highest sports award of the country, January 2010 saw him being honoured with the Padma Shri for his contribution to the sport of boxing. For the six foot tall Haryana policeman, there couldn't have been a better year than 2010.

With the Commonwealth Games round the corner, the Indian boxers' performance at the Energy Drink Commonwealth Championships is heartening but may be misleading at the same time. While we may rejoice with the bag of six gold medals won by India, the fact remains that some of the brilliant boxers whom we are likely to see in action at the Commonwealth Games were actually not there during India's moment of glory. In the zone of uncertainty, however, one boxer remains India's best bet to win a gold medal and he is none other than Vijender Singh.

Gp Capt Achchyut Kumar is General Manager with Forbes & Company Ltd, Mumbai. Since he began writing for THE TEENAGER in 1974, he has contributed over 70 articles and 10 cover stories even while moving all around India during his tenure with the IAF.