Vikas Krishan: Veteran boxer seeks to redeem London and Rio in Tokyo

Qualified for the Tokyo Olympics by defeating Japan’s Sewon Okazawa, world No 6, in the 69kg weight class by 5-0 at the Asia-Oceania Olympic Boxing Qualifiers in March 2020.

Age

29

Discipline

Boxing (69 kg Welterweight)

Past milestones

In 2003, at the age of 10, Vikas joined the Bhiwani Boxing Club. Later, he received training in the Army Sports Institute, Pune. He won a gold medal at the 2010 AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships in Tehran, Iran. That same year, he won a bronze medal in 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in Lightweight category. He then won a gold medal in the 2010 Asian Games in the Lightweight category, signalling the rise of a boxing star.

He also won a gold medal in the 75kg weight category at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

In the Olympics, it has been a tale of so-close-but-so-far for Vikas. In London 2012, the judges initially awarded him a pre-quarter final victory but overturned the decision a few hours after the bout after a protest from the Americans. In Rio 2016, Vikas was one of India’s most impressive boxers before going down in the quarter-final, the last non-medal match.

Family Background

Vikas hails from Bhiwani district in Haryana, a hub of boxing stars. His father Krishan Kumar is an employee in the Electricity Department.

Trivia

Vikas Krishan is the second Indian boxer after Olympian Vijender Singh to qualify for a third Olympic Games.