Rings of Desire

Consider sometime medal hopefuls at Beijing: The shooters have been inconsistent, winning World Cups one moment and failing to reach well short of their personal best scores the next; the hockey teams have not even qualified for the event; the athletes have best performances far below the international average; the weightlifters are more concerned about doping charges than setting new benchmarks; and the tennis stars seem to be embroiled in verbal volleys rather than smashes across the net.

The scenario is bleak, except in one unlikely discipline — boxing. The Indian pugilists had lost out in the preliminary rounds at Athens. This time around, however, their numbers have increased. With five boxers qualifying, this will be India’s largest boxing contingent in the Games. It isn’t quantity but quality, however, that raises some hopes.

The five — Antharesh Lalit Lakra (57 kg), Dinesh Kumar (81 kg), Jitender Kumar (51 kg), Akhil Kumar (54 kg) and Vijender Singh (75 kg) — have been impressive in their own way, but two of the five boxers, participating in their second Olympics, and have been consistently improving over the last few years.

If Vijender Singh Mahimal stunned Athens gold medallist Bakhtiyar Artayev of Kazakhastan recently in Chinese Taipei, Akhil Kumar had booked his Olympic spot defeating Olympic silver medallist Worapoj Petchkoom of Thailand. And with such performances, the two have suddenly become India’s biggest hopes to bring home that elusive medal from Beijing. A lot of work has been put in by both Akhil and Vijender in the intervening years since Athens. They’ve gone to the depths of despair before striking back with a vengeance to climb the ladder, slowly but sure-footedly. While all five are ranked in the top-10 list of Asian boxers in their respective categories, Vijender is currently 13th in the world.

“Having an Olympics experience makes a huge difference. It’s a huge stage, many times the athletes are not even able to adjust themselves to the arena, the crowds, the whole spotlight. In that sense, Vijender and Akhil have a huge advantage,” says chief coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu.

In terms of their development in the game, raw power has been supplemented by intelligent punches, hard work is now peppered with smart work, and four years have seen them test their mettle against the best in the business — and come out winners on several occasions. “We’re working hard and expect good results, but the luck element is always there. The boxers are very positive, and if we get even a moderately favourable draw, there will be no stopping them,” says Sandhu.

Akhil, who has always relied more on his left upper-cuts, is now more confident of using both hands. And Vijender, who was in his teens and believed in indiscreet punches during his first Olympic sojourn to Athens, now relies more on straight shots to score points and avoid getting hit. “Vijender hardly lets the other boxer hit him, he plays with a cool mind,” says Jagdish, coach at the SAI sports hostel in Bhiwani (Haryana), where four of the five qualified boxers learnt their trade. “We have the best boxers and the best coaches. We just need the best infrastructure,” Akhil says. “Self-belief is the most important asset for any sportsman.” Ask Vijender — considered the shrewdest boxer in the country — and he says: “I never think negatively. For me, positive thinking has been the most important ingredient in my development. Every loss makes me more determined to do even better the next time.”

Interestingly, this is one sport where there is little cribbing about lack of government support. While the SAI and state governments have been supportive, both Akhil and Vijender also receive a $800 monthly scholarship from the IOC. “We met the sports minister on Wednesday and all formalities are completed. The ministry will be providing complete nutritional support and every other facility for the boxers till they leave for Beijing,” said PK Muralidharan Raja, the secretary-general of All-India Boxing Federation (AIBF). Sandhu fires a warning. “We’re not at our peak at the moment since there was a break between the Olympic qualifying tournament and the ongoing President’s Cup. We have another two months to shape up.”

With injuries a thing of past, self-doubt almost an alien concept, support from all quarters and results to complement their claims, the two stand out amidst the Olympic cynicism in Indian sports. If they manage to convert it into a medal, they would have achieved something incredible.