2008 Beijing Olympics: Vijender Singh’s desire of Government job that turned into an Olympic medal

 

Many boxers had made it to the Olympic games but none had returned with a medal. All this changed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. A 22-year-old tall and young boxer changed the face of Indian Boxing by winning a bronze in the middleweight category.

Vijender Singh was born on 29 October 1985 in a jat family. His father a Haryana roadways driver and mother a housewife. His father used to work overtime to look after Vijender and his brother Manoj’s education. Vijender started to learn boxing to ensure a better life for their family. His brother after entering Indian Army supported him. 

Vijender trained at Bhiwani sports club and got recognition by winning about in state-level competition. The turning point was 2003 Afro-Asian games where he fought valiantly to win a silver medal. All through this he only wanted a government job so that life can become secure. He rose through the ranks but that never won him a coveted job. Someone guided him to aim for Olympics as Olympians were given jobs in various government departments. He qualified for Athens 2004 but his only interest was Olympic tag. He got eliminated in the opening round of light welterweight. His coach GS Sandhu insisted that ball his boxers should watch all boxing matches in their respective weight category.

Vijender got a view of the best boxers but it was medal ceremony that made him realize that he could have been on the podium as well. Now with a new purpose, he worked on his game more than before. He won medals at Asian championships, 2006 Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. He was heading in the right direction and was ready to achieve his goal. Akhil Kumar in bantamweight category was the talk of the town and hence Vijender flew under the radar. He was supposed to take part in the 75Kg middleweight category. With all eyes on Akhil Kumar, it made life easy for Vijender as he went about his business in a quiet way.

In the round of 32 clashes, he defeated Gambia’s Jack in a one-sided encounter by 13 -3. He took on Thailand’s Chomphuphuang in R16 clash and unlike the scoreboard which suggested 13 -3 victory it was a very difficult match. His opponent’s elbow techniques injured him on the right side. But the quarterfinal clash was after 3 days so he had a lot of time to deal with. Akhil Kumar lost his quarterfinal bout and there was a sense of disappointment as he was the best bet for a medal.

Vijender‘s bout was the next day and all of sudden he was one bout away from assuring India a first Olympic medal in Boxing. Expectations were high and he delivered by winning his bout against Ecuador’s Gongora by 9 -4. He had reached the semifinal and had made history. His semifinal bout was on 22 Aug 2008, which was the talking point as Indian’s sensed a better finish in podium but his opponent Cuba’s Correa was too strong and defeated him on points by 5-8. He shared the bronze medal and became a household name. He was given a grand welcome on his arrival to India.

In 2015 he turned professional and till date has hundred per cent record of 12-0. For a man who took the sport for a govt job, Boxing was a new way of living life.