A fistful of gold

Published>Thu, Mar 18 10 10:22 AM

A medal at the Olympics, No. 1 rank in the world and big endorsements - since he last topped the podium at the Chemistry Cup in Germany in 2007, almost everything that Vijender Singh touched has turned into gold. Figuratively speaking, that is, as it was only on Wednesday at the Commonwealth Boxing Championships that the Bhiwani pugilist could end his two-and-a-half-year gold-medal drought.

The 24-year-old survived some anxious moments and a bleeding nose in the first round before turning the tables on Frank Buglioni of England, winning by a 13-3 margin in the 75kg category final. In the process, Vijender also bagged the best boxer award.

Another upward curve that is almost parallel to Vijender's rise is that of Indian boxing. It was only fitting that his fight rounded off what turned out to be a historic performance by the Indians at this stage. The hosts won an unprecedented six gold medals, making a clean sweep in all the categories where they had made the finals. Interestingly -somewhat worryingly as well - there was no silver or bronze in their account as the domestic competition had fizzled out in the quarter-finals in the other four weight categories.

Paramjit Samota set the tone on Wednesday, giving India the first - first-ever in the history of this competition as well - and the most unexpected gold by winning the super-heavyweight (91+ kg) category final. Amandeep Singh (52kg), Suranjoy Singh (52kg) and Jai Bhagwan (60kg) also won their respective bouts. And as Dinesh Kumar (81kg) was assured of a gold after his opponent's walkover, India had already surpassed their previous best performance - 4 gold and 3 silver - at the Glasgow edition of the event in 2007.

But that was no consolation to a wild and vastly partisan crowd, or for that matter Vijender himself, as he stepped into the ring for the day's headline fight. He had defeated Buglioni three times in previous three meetings, but this was a fight as much against his inner demons as against a rival who had come prepared.

No wonder then that the Indian looked circumspect as Buglioni landed a thunderous blow on his face, prompting drops of blood to trickle out of his nose. That was only setback Vijender had to face in the nine-minute fight as he clawed back before clinically dismantling his opponent in the second and the third rounds.

"Everyday is a new day in boxing," said Vijender, who had fallen short at the world championships in Milan last year, bagging a bronze. "But a gold medal is something to cherish not for a year or two, but for the whole career," he added. "I was bit scared after the bleeding from the nose in the first round and thought that the referee would stop the bout. But it was a minor cut and once I set my eyes in, I was confident.

"After the bleeding started, I was trying to control by breathing so the blood did not flow out. I stayed at a distance after the first round which gave me a chance to counterattack. I have tried it a lot of times with sparring coach Kutappa, and it worked," said Vijender.

Earlier, fellow Bhiwani boxer Samota gave India a flying start with a come-from-behind 7-3 win over New Zealand's Joseph Parker. Amandeep looked more convincing against Peter Mugai of Kenya than his 3-0 score suggested. Suranjoy's dream run continued as he won his sixth gold in 11 months with a 1-0 win over Oliver Lagivi of Mauritius after the referee stopped the bout. The closest fight of the day was between Jai Bhagwan and Valention Knowles of Bahamas, with the Indian winning 6-2 in the end.

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