Vijender Singh has known failures. He is used to fightbacks, too.
Even as he is dealing with the disappointment of coming back empty-handed from the London Olympics, Vijender prefers to take things in his stride.
“Obviously, you get disappointed. Many Olympic champions lose and it is God’s will. It is heartbreaking for a sportsman (to comeback without a medal). Everybody in the family, in the country (who had hopes) feels bad,” said Vijender on Saturday.
After returning home from the Olympics, Vijender has cut himself off from the gruelling training sessions to rejuvenate his tired body and mind. “I badly need some rest. I have been through this for so long.”
His body took a beating during the Olympics due to the recurrence of a back problem. Earlier, team doctor Abhishek Choudhary had suggested that Vijender undergo surgery. Since the Olympics was very close, Vijender resorted to some back strengthening exercises and fought the bouts.
Tight vigil
Some skin problems also hampered the Beijing Olympics bronze medallist’s progress. “There was tight vigil as to what kind of medicines you can carry into the Games Village. Even though the team doctor was there with us, I could use only a limited number of medicines prescribed by him.”
Vijender said the overall performance was satisfying. “Our boxers gave their best.
“The way Sumit (Sangwan), Vikas (Krishan), Manoj (Kumar) and Devendro (Singh) fought, we had a good chance to win medals.”
