Vikas Krishan: Will show the world how to win a medal without a federation at World C'ships

08/29/2016

After missing out on a medal at the Rio Olympics, Vikas Krishan is now hoping to become the first Indian to win two medals at the World Championships. The 24-year-old said that he will show the world how to win a medal without a federation at the World Boxing Championships next year.

Vikas Krishan had boarded the flight to Rio hoping to secure a medal for India in the Olympics. In the 75kg category, he started with a victory over Charles Conwell of the USA before producing another convincing performance against Onder Sipal of Turkey in the Round of 16. The 24-year-old faced Bektemir Melikuziev of Uzbekistan in the quarter-final in the hope of a medal, but failed to match up to the calibre of the eventual silver-medallist. After carrying the hopes of Indian boxing on his shoulders at the Games, Vikas Krishan said on Monday that although he failed to win a medal, his performance level was good at the Olympics.

"It was a good competition for me. I missed the medal but I think my performance was good. As for losing in the quarters, I take responsibility for my performance, I wasn't upto it that day," Vikas, who competes in the middleweight 75kg category, told PTI in an interview.

"At the time of weigh-in, I was 71kg on the day of quarterfinals. I could not compete that well, could not put power into my punches. I think luck was on my side in the initial rounds. I am responsible for what happened in the quarters. I would be looking to improve my weight maintenance," he said, recalling the 3-0 loss to Uzbek Bektemir Melikuziev.

The blame for India’s failure to win a medal at Rio in boxing, which produced one medal each at the previous two editions, has been put on the absence of a national federation for the last four years. The boxer from Haryana agreed with the observation, and said that the sport is suffering because of the administrative mess.

"How I lost in the quarters is my responsibility, the federation issue is immaterial there but how can a sport survive without a federation? We need more competitions not just abroad but also at home to improve and this is something only a federation can do," he pointed out.

Expecting no change in the current situation in Indian boxing, Vikas Krishan said that he will concentrate his efforts on winning a medal at the World Championship next year to prove that he can excel even without a federation.

"The Rio Olympics won't come back now. So I have to move forward. I am targeting a medal at the World Championships next year to become the first Indian to win two medals at the world event. I will show the world how to win a medal without a federation," he said, reported PTI.

However, when asked about his plans to go into professional boxing, the pugilist evaded it like a pro by saying that he will take a break before deciding his future plans.

"I am taking a break for the next two-three-months because I want to spend some time with my family. After that I will see what to do next," he signed off.

Also, read : Vikas Krishan | Another Vijender Singh in the making