09 July,2021 07:36 AM IST | Mumbai | Ashwin Ferro
Vikas Krishan (left) trains with Neeraj Goyat in Assisi, Italy yesterday
If Amit Panghal (52 kg category) is the star of India's five-member men's boxing contingent heading at the Tokyo Olympics, Vikas Krishan (69 kg) is the spine.
Krishan is not just the most experienced boxer in the group but also the most accomplished. Among his leading achievements is a World Championships bronze (in 2011) besides gold medals at both, Asian Games (2010) and Commonwealth Games (2018), alongside a host of other international medals.
However, Olympic success has somehow eluded the Bhiwani boxer, who turned professional in 2019 (undefeated in two fights) only to return to the amateur fold to quench his thirst for Olympic glory.
Krishan, 29, is currently training with his best friend and Haryana state mate, Neeraj Goyat, 29, an experienced professional boxer (17 bouts, 12 wins, three losses), along with the rest of the Indian boxing contingent in Assisi, Italy.
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According to Goyat, Krishan is desperate for that Olympic medal. "We have been as close as brothers for many years now, but I have never seen such hunger in him. He is training like there's no tomorrow.
He lost in the quarterfinals at both the previous Olympics - that's just one bout short of the medal round. He realises this is his last shot, so he wants that Olympic medal at all costs," Goyat tells mid-day over the phone from Italy after a draining training session with Krishan.
Goyat believes that Krishan's professional experience, between the Rio and Tokyo Games, makes him a medal contender. "Pro boxing is all about brute force and power while amateur boxing is about earning points with accurate punches. Vikas has done well on the pro circuit which means he has experienced the ferocity there, so that makes things a bit easier in the amateur arena.
"Vikas will be brutal in Tokyo. Our plan is to go in hard and fast. There is no Plan B. There is only one plan - to win and win comprehensively - so that there is no scope for any error in scoring on the part of the judges which tends to happen in amateur boxing. I'm sure, with his power-packed punches, he will finish on the podium in Tokyo," Goyat signs off.
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