Profile: Vijender Singh
Vijender Singh is the first India boxer to win an Olympic medal, a feat he achieved in Beijing four years ago when he made a semi-final finish for a bronze medal. Vijender hails from Bhiwani in Haryana, the heartland of Indian boxing.
- NDTVSports
- Updated: July 20, 2012 03:18 PM IST
Sport: Boxing
Age: 26
Event: Middleweight
About Vijender Singh
Vijender Singh is the first India boxer to win an Olympic medal, a feat he achieved in Beijing four years ago when he made a semi-final finish for a bronze medal.
Vijender hails from Bhiwani in Haryana, the heartland of Indian boxing. This son of a bus driver took up boxing at an early age of 11. He was influenced by his elder brother, Manoj, who made it to the Indian Army on the basis of his boxing ability.
Vijender won his first state championship in 1997 and in 2000 won a gold medal at the national championships. In 2003, Vijender won a silver medal at the Afro-Asian Games.
At the Athens Olympics in 2004, Vijender participated in the welterweight category but couldn't do much. In 2006 Commonwealth Games, he won a bronze medal after he lost the bout in the semi-final.
In 2009, Vijender Singh became the World No. 1 pugilist in his weight category. He was also awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award. In 2010, Vijender was given Padma Shri Award for his contribution to the Indian sports.
After a bronze-medal finish at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, Vijender won gold at the Guangzhou Asian Games.