‘With a little help from my friends’

After winning his quarterfinal bout at the Beijing Olympics Vijender Kumar thanked Ram, his friend-cum-roommate at the National Institute of Sports (NIS), Patiala, and his other pals, reports Saurabh Duggal.

What was Vijender Kumar’s immediate reaction when he was assured of a medal after winning his quarterfinal bout at the Beijing Olympics? Before coming out of the ring, he thanked Ram, his friend-cum-roommate at the National Institute of Sports (NIS), Patiala, and his other pals Manoj Kumar, Jai Bhagwan, Bunty and Ravi for their support and faith in his ability.

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“They are the whole world to me and without their support it would have been difficult, rather impossible, for me to win the medal. Whenever I felt low, they motivated me. They kept telling me that I had the potential of winning an Olympic medal and I did it,” said Vijender while talking to Hindustan Times from Beijing.

“When I lost in the second round of the World Championship in Chicago last year and failed to earn a berth for the Olympics, I was very upset.

“But they told me that the World Championship was not my target. They said my ultimate aim was winning an Olympic medal and I would definitely win it,” he added.

For the past four years, Vijender shared a room with Ram in the Dhyan Chand hostel at the NIS. Manoj was his sparring partner during the national camp for the Beijing Games.

“When I saw Vijender for the first time at the NIS at a national camp, my first impression was he did not look like a boxer. He had a very childlike face. But when I saw him practising, I realised that he was an exceptionally talented boxer,” said Ram.

“I still remember the days at the NIS. He was very hardworking and sometimes used to practise thrice a day,” Ram added. From the start of his boxing career, Vijender was wary of damage to his face of the kind which could alter his looks. “Just a week before the team left for Beijing, Vijender got a scratch on his face during a practice bout with Manoj.

Vijender was so worried that till it was not properly healed he was after Manoj’s life. His scratch remained a hot topic of discussion for almost five days,” said Ram.