Vikas 038; Shiva: A winning pair

Its been like this since our sub-junior days. When one of us wins a gold or silver,the other one too bags a medal. When Vikas became the World Youth champion in 2010 in Baku,Azerbaijan,he also saw me lose the final. During the World Youth Olympics in Singapore,he supported me a lot even after his bouts and when I won gold,he was the first one to come to my corner. We do not compete against each other but we often talk about this, admitted Thapa,who lost to Vittorio Jahyn Parrinnelo of Italy in the 56kg final.

Pushed into boxing by his father Padam Thapa at the SAI Centre,Guwahati,Thapa graduated to the senior level after regular wins on the international junior circuit and was soon inducted into the national camp at NIS Patiala. He,however,had to wait to make the cut with the Indian squad,since 2006 CWG gold medalist Akhil Kumar was the first choice in his weight category. But victory against then World Champion Delaklive Detelin of Bulgaria in Belgrade Cup last year and Akhils recent injury saw Thapa make the grade for the Olympic qualifiers to be held at Astana,Kazakhstan from April 5.

Krishan,meanwhile,has already qualified for London with a bronze medal in the World Championships last year. And Thapa,who will be vying for the Asian quota places at Astana,is keen to ensure that being together at major events continues at the Olympics. Vikas has been a motivation for me. When he qualified,he called me from Milan and has always encouraged me. He has been giving me tips on body movement and sometimes also acts as my sparring partner. It will be tough at Astana but I do hope to qualify, Thapa said.

With boxers from Kazakhstan,Uzbekistan and Mongolia a threat in his weight category,Thapa knows his road to London will be tough,but he is ready for the challenge. Who knows,we may both win medals together again,this time in London, he says.