Heath8217;s healing touch in India8217;s Beijing boxing glory

Left out of the Indian contingent initially, it was physio Heath Matthews' healing touch that proved instrumental in getting India its first...

Left out of the Indian contingent initially, it was physio Heath Matthews8217; healing touch that proved instrumental in getting India its first ever Olympic boxing medal when he helped a badly bruised Vijender Singh recover from a draining first-round bout in Beijing.

8220;I took a lot of body blows in the first round, which resulted in a collar bone injury. My knee was hurting and I was not in a particularly good shape. But Heath took care of me and made sure that I was fighting fit for the second round,8221; Vijender said.

8220;He is just awesome and all credit goes to him for keeping us fit,8221; he added.

Matthews was drafted in by the Indian Olympic Association only after bantam weight pugilist Akhil Kumar spoke out against his omission.

Akhil said the South African, who took care of his rehabilitation after a career-threatening wrist injury, was not just an asset for the boxers but also for the other Indian athletes in Beijing.

8220;I spoke up for his inclusion in the Olympic contingent and the results are there for everyone to see. He made a lot of difference to our team8217;s prospects by taking care of the niggles which are a part and parcel of a contact sport like boxing,8221; Akhil, who reached the quarterfinals in the Olympics, said.

8220;Besides, it wasn8217;t just the boxers who benefited from his presence. Other athletes like Saina Nehwal also came to him whenever they had some problem,8221; he added.

Story continues below this ad

Fly weight boxer Jitender, who fought with 11 stitches on his chin in the quarterfinals, said Matthews was indispensable for the Indian boxing team.

8220;We always believed that he was crucial for us and once there he showed why,8221; he said.

Matthews, who is employed with the Mittal Champions Trust MCT, was with the boxers during their pre-Olympic training camp in Patiala as well.

He had previously worked with tennis star Sania Mirza.

The boxers were also all praise for their coaching staff 8212; chief coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu and Cuban Blas Iglesias Fernandez.

Story continues below this ad

8220;Sandhu sir is a brilliant motivator and a very caring coach. Fernandez keeps an eye on our mistakes and makes sure that we don8217;t repeat them,8221; Akhil said about the backroom staff.

Vijender, meanwhile, said, 8220;I have trained with Fernandez and he is a very fine coach. Sandhu sir, on the other hand, has been a tremendous support through my tough times.8221;