Vijender Singh: Difference between revisions
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== Career == |
== Career == |
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=== Early career === |
=== Early career === |
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Vijender used to go to the [[Bhiwani]] [[Sports Authority of India]] center for boxing practice, where coach [[Jagdish Singh]] picked his talent.And he |
Vijender used to go to the [[Bhiwani]] [[Sports Authority of India]] center for boxing practice, where coach [[Jagdish Singh]] picked his talent.And he defeated narendra singh in state level competition.Vijender belongs to the [[Beniwal]] clan of [[Jats]].And he win against oscar at college levl.Vijender won a silver medal in his first sub-junior nationals and then finished the 2nd sub-junior in the same position. Vijender won medals in junior national competitions after that and he was picked to visit several countries like [[Cuba]] for further training and competitions. |
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=== Athens Olympics 2004=== |
=== Athens Olympics 2004=== |
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Revision as of 08:23, 12 August 2009
Vijender Kumar | |
|---|---|
| Born | 29 October 1985 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Citizenship | Indian |
| Occupation | Boxer Middleweight |
| Height | 182 cm (6 ft 0 in) |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  India
| ||
| Men's Boxing | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
 |
2008 Beijing | Middleweight |
| Commonwealth Games | ||
 |
2006 Melbourne | Welterweight |
| Asian Games | ||
|
2006 Doha | Middleweight |
Vijender Kumar (Hindi: विजेन्द्र कुमार) (born October 29 1985) (also known as Vijender Singh or simply Vijender) is an Indian boxer from Kaluwas village, Bhiwani district in Haryana. He became the first Indian boxer to win an Olympic medal when he won bronze medal in the middleweight category at 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing [1][2] On July 2009, he received theRajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna- India's highest honor for sportspersons.[3]
Career
Early career
Vijender used to go to the Bhiwani Sports Authority of India center for boxing practice, where coach Jagdish Singh picked his talent.And he defeated narendra singh in state level competition.Vijender belongs to the Beniwal clan of Jats.And he win against oscar at college levl.Vijender won a silver medal in his first sub-junior nationals and then finished the 2nd sub-junior in the same position. Vijender won medals in junior national competitions after that and he was picked to visit several countries like Cuba for further training and competitions.
Athens Olympics 2004
At the 2004 Athens Olympics, Vijender contested in the welterweight division, but lost to Mustafa Karagollu of Turkey by 20-25.
Commonwealth Games 2006
At the 2006 Commonwealth Games, he defeated England's Neil Perkins in the semis but lost to South Africa's Bongani Mwelase, who went on to win the gold.
He went up a division and competed in the Middleweight (-75 kg) division at the 2006 Asian Games winning the bronze medal in a lost semifinal bout against Kazakhstan's Bakhtiyar Artayev 24-29. [4]
At the second qualifier he won the tournament and qualified for 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Beijing Olympics 2008
At the 2008 Summer Olympics, he defeating Badou Jack of Gambia 13-2 in the round of 32. In the round of 16, he defeated Angkhan Chomphuphuang of Thailand 13-3 to reach the Middleweight Boxing Quarterfinals. He beat southpaw Carlos Góngora of Ecuador 9-4 in the quarterfinals on 20 August 2008 which guaranteed him a medal, the first ever Olympic medal for an Indian boxer. He lost 5-8 to Cuba's Emilio Correa in the semi-finals on 22 August 2008 and shared a bronze medal.[5]
Bout results:
- Defeated Badou Jack (Gambia) 13-2
- Defeated Angkhan Chomphuphuang (Thailand) 13-3
- Defeated Carlos Góngora (Ecuador) 9-4
- Lost to Emilio Correa Jr. (Cuba) 5-8
Personal life
Vijender is from a Hindu family and was born in Kaluwas village, 5 km from Bhiwani, Haryana. His father, Mahipal Singh, is a bus driver (who drove buses overtime to raise funds for Vijender's training [6]) and his mother is a homemaker. He was inspired by his younger brother Manoj, a former boxer himself, who is now in the Indian Army. Vijender did his primary schooling from Kaluwas, secondary school from Bhiwani and finally a Bachelor's degree from Vaish College.
He worked overtime to pay for coaching at the Bhiwani Boxing Club, run by former national-level boxer and coach Jagdish Singh [7]. After achieving success at the international level he also did modeling part-time. Vijender currently works for the Haryana Police.[8]
Vijender's hometown of Kaluwas erupted with celebrations on 20 August after Vijender was assured of an Olympic medal. His hometown watched the bouts on a single television set in a specially rigged tent for the event. [9]
See also
References
- ^ Boxing is my only love: Vijender Rediff.com, 17 September 2008.
- ^ Vijender Kumar secures India's first boxing medal Reuters, 21 Aug 2008.
- ^ Mary Kom, Vijender and Sushil get Khel Ratna
- ^ Middleweight semifinal results
- ^ "India's Kumar wins boxing bronze", BBC, 22 August 2008
- ^ AFP: Indian boxer Vijender mobbed after historic win
- ^ Vijender may spring a surpriseThe Hindu, 25 August 2008.
- ^ Against the Odds: Vijender Kumar, BBC BBC News.
- ^ Sify: Bhiwani, country erupt after Vijender win