New Delhi: The Asian Olympic Qualifiers are his last chance to book a ticket to the London Games but star Indian boxer Vijender Singh claims he is least bit intimidated by the challenge at hand as the situation is all too familiar.
“I have always been under pressure ever since I won the bronze medal in the Beijing Olympics. It is nothing new for me. It’s there before I leave for any tournament,” the World Championship bronze-medallist said on the eve of the Indian team’s departure for the Qualifiers starting April 4 in Astana, Kazakhstan.
“There was pressure when I didn’t get a gold in the 2010 Commonwealth Games. I went on to get a gold medal in the Asian Games but that hasn’t lessened the pressure. All I can say is that I have become mentally better prepared to deal with it since Beijing,” the 26-year-old middleweight boxer told reporters.
Vijender lost in the very first round of the first Olympic Qualifiers — the World Championships in Azerbaijan last year. But being on the edge is nothing new for him.
“It’s the same situation that I faced before the Beijing Games. I had lost in two attempts and was left with just one chance. At that time, there were just two slots available and I went on to win the gold.
“This time, there are four slots in my category. So, I have a better chance. I just have to make the semifinals,” he explained.
The strapping six-footer from Haryana also became a touch philosophical when talking about his prospects in the Qualifiers.
“I have to give my 100 per cent in the ring and that I will do, but the rest of it is in God’s hands. So hopefully he will be kind to me,” he said with a smile.
Meanwhile, drop the guard and punch the living daylights out of rivals — this would be the Indian boxing team’s mantra for success during the Asian Olympic Qualifiers as national coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu feels the new system of scoring encourages pugilists to be more aggressive.
The event starting April 4 in Astana, Kazakhstan is Asian boxing’s final qualifying tournament for the London Games and 25 slots are up for grab in 10 weight categories.
India has already bagged four slots — L Devendro Singh (49kg), Jai Bhagwan (60kg), Manoj Kumar (64kg) and Vikas Krishan (69kg) — during the first Olympic Qualifiers (last year’s World Championships in Azerbaijan).
After more than three months of training in Patiala, six Indians are ready for a shot at Olympic qualification and given the new scoring system, under which points earned are shown only after the end of a round instead of live updates, Sandhu said it is important that boxers keep the tempo high.
“They have been told to do away with the closed guard and land as many punches as possible to ensure that judges can see the aggression. Now it is all about the rate at which you land punches because the bouts have become very high scoring,” Sandhu said on eve of the team’s departure. “The boys have also been told not to back-paddle too much as that is perceived to be a defensive tactic,” he said.
Talking about India’s prospects in the tournament, the team’s Cuban coach Blas Iglesias Fernandes said at least two should book London berths. (PTI)