Fighting words

Olympic bronze medal winner Vijender Kumar shares his thoughts.

Three weeks ago, he was just another member of the Indian contingent in Beijing. One bronze medal later, Vijender Kumar is now a household name, hailed as the best thing to happen to Indian sport in some time and, possibly, the next poster boy for brands as well. But the 22-year-old from Bhiwani is keeping his feet on the ground and knows this is just the beginning. In a short conversation, he tells us about his experience in Beijing and his hope that the performance of fellow boxers will spur sport authorities to work for the development of Indian sport.

Were you surprised by the showing of our boxers at the Olympics?
Not at all. For the past two years, we have shown that we can compete with the best of the world. So it wasn’t surprising at all, though a bit disappointing. I thought we should have won more considering how close we came.

What effect will your medal-winning performance have on boxing in India?
I just hope that it encourages not only boxers, but also people in other disciplines to work hard and give their best. Though I am a bit disappointed to not win the gold, there is still time and, hopefully, with age on my side I will try to better my performance.

How was the whole experience of representing your country at the Olympics?
It was very good. I enjoyed competing with the best, and so did the other boxers. Nobody rated our chances too high, but we fought till the end and just never gave up. I hope this is just the beginning and people start taking note of boxers as well as athletes in other sports who represent the country at the highest level.

What are your plans for the future?
Just work hard and give my best every time I step into the ring. There is no shortcut to success and, as I said earlier, this is just the beginning. There is so much more to achieve and, hopefully, with the support of everyone I should be able to do so.