Vijender Singh: One fight shy of a medal

History beckons Vijender Singh as the Bhiwani powerhouse is just a punch away from a historic second Olympic medal.

What has he done?

He’s through to the quarter-finals by defeating Terrell Gausha of USA 16-15, in a nail-biting thriller. Technically and tactically, there was little to distinguish between the two like it showed in the final scorecard. But Vijender kept his cool and managed to go one better than the American. The second and third rounds ended in a tie, and the one point (4-3) lead in the first round saved the former World No 1.

What Next?

He next features in the quarter-final bout on Monday, the 6th of August, 2012…

What time?

Late in the night on the 6th of August, 2012…

Against whom?

ATOEV Abbos of Uzbekistan. Not very long ago, in the World Championship of 2009, Vijender was beaten by Abbos, but the very next year, the Indian had his revenge in the 2010 Asian Games when he defeated Abbos 7-0 in the finals. Destiny now has another bout in store for Vijender, against his nemesis. We hope for a similar performance from Vijender.

How can one more win ensure a medal?

In boxing, unlike other sports, both the losing semi-finalists are given the Bronze medal. So just one more win by Vijender would ensure a second successive Olympic medal for the Indian. A bronze would be sealed, but he could still go on to compete for the Gold or Silver, if only he wins the semi-final.

Chances of winning?

Vijender has a reasonable chance of winning against the Uzbek. Atoev Abbos, of late, hasn’t been in top form, suffering a couple of first-round exits amidst other upsets. If the Indian manages to pack the right punch, he definitely would cruise into the semis. In fact, the whole of India doesn’t want to settle for a Bronze this time. We expect him to better the Beijing heroics and go for ultimate Glory!

We hope all the power from Bhiwani comes right into the punches of their favourite son and that Vijender punches his way to Olympic Glory once again.