New Delhi: Having suffered heartbreak at the London Games, Indian boxer Vijender Singh has now decided to shift from his pet 75kg category to 81kg for the World Championships, to be held in Kazakhstan in 2013.
For the Beijing Games bronze medallist, the World Championships will the first test in his new weight category before the Asian Games and the Olympics.
“There is nothing much this year. I will be participating in the World championship next year in the 81kg category,” Vijender said here on Wednesday.
Asked what prompted him to switch his weight category, Vijender said: “I have been fighting in the 75kg division for so long. I wanted to make a change.”
Vijender will be skipping the nationals in Hyderabad from October 30-November 4 that would have been an ideal way of warming up in the 81kg section.
“No, I am not participating in the Nationals though I will certainly be going to watch bouts,” he said.
Vijender lost in the quarterfinals of the London Olympics to cap a disappointing performance by the men’s boxing contingent – though Mary Kom won a bronze for the women.
The Bhiwani boxer is India’s first Olympic boxing medallist – winning a bronze at the 2008 Games. (IANS)