‘He’s my father, brother, friend’

Like so many other names peppering the pages of history, the performance of Akhil Kumar and Vijender Singh in Athens might make or mar his r...

Like so many other names peppering the pages of history, the performance of Akhil Kumar and Vijender Singh in Athens might make or mar his reputation. Jagdish Singh’s is not a familiar name, not even to people who follow Indian boxing. But with two of his students making the Olympic boxing team of four, he’s dreaming, and dreaming big.

‘‘Akhil ko toh khada hone maine sikhaya,’’ the Bhiwani-based coach starts. ‘‘He came to me in 1995 when I was in Gurgaon and has improved constantly since then. Vijender also started his boxing with me. They have done me and the academy in Bhiwani proud and soon everyone in India will know their name.’’

Akhil, Jagdish says, is a cinch for an Athens medal. ‘‘He is such a positive boxer. Right from the first day, he would ask questions, wanting to know the finer points of the game. He is very brainy and I always knew he would be a world-class boxer. Today he is on his way to proving me right,’’ Jagdish says.

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The pupil is as effusive in his praise: ‘‘Jagdish sir is everything for me. He is my father, brother, friend. He has taken care of me from the very first day,’’ Akhil says.

When the four Athens qualifiers were recently scheduled to train in Patiala, Akhil refused to make the trip, asked the Federation for leave to go to Bhiwani, and trained there with Jagdish: ‘‘I thought it would make more sense because they know what my weaknesses are and can handle me better.’’

Vijender — ‘‘equally talented, but not totally mature yet’’ — also speaks highly of the coach, saying he can’t think of ‘‘moving anywhere’’.

For his part Jagdish — a former national-level boxer — started coaching in 1986 in Orissa. He was then sent by the sports ministry to Hungary in 2001 to complete a higher coaching degree. ‘‘I currently train about a hundred boys, and I can tell you at least three of them — all three sub-junior boxers — Dilbag and Mahesh have it in them to go a long way.’’

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Interestingly, Jagdish was in the capital over the last weekend to have a last word with his two star students. It was what can loosely be called a motivational session, the three discussing a few finer points of the sport. ‘‘I basically told them that it’s time to prove themselves,’’ Jagdish says. Vijender adds, ‘‘He also wanted to check if the few weaknesses we have are better now and gave a few suggestions.’’

The draws they get will, everyone agrees, determine whether Akhil and Vijender, or indeed Jitender Kumar and Diwakar Prasad, make it to the medal range or not. But to have produced two Olympians out of a field of four in just one edition of the Games does place Jagdish in the big time, something he is ‘‘looking forward to’’.