Vikas Krishan explains his mother's role in his boxing journey

The 28-year-old boxer is training hard for the upcoming tournaments.

Vikas Krishan has carved out a noteworthy career in boxing with accolades including a gold medal at the 2010 Asian Games and 2018 Commonwealth Games respectively. The boxer credits his success to his mother, who stood strong when the going got tough for her son and never allowed him to throw in the towel.  

“Whenever I was too tired or too hurt, my mother made sure I didn't give up. Sometimes I used to come home bloodied and bruised, but she would never finch. Instead, she would say, 'it's okay to get hit, go ahead and hit back hard tomorrow. There were so many occasions when I thought of giving up and doing something else in life, but my mother never let that happen, and I am really grateful to her for that,” Vikas Krishan said to the Firstpost.

A recurring pattern observed in the careers of most top-level athletes is that they begin to train in their chosen sport from a very young age. Similarly, Vikas Krishan started training at a boxing academy at the age of 10. At first, he revealed that he was afraid of getting punched but he battled through that phase and eventually began to enjoy his time in the ring.

He said, “Initially, I was really scared of getting hit. Getting punched was very painful, and I had no one to go to. It took me a year to start enjoying boxing. Obviously, I used to get punched in the ring, but I felt better when I started counter-punching. Gradually, the killer instinct started to develop and I was fine."

Moreover, the pugilist feels that the family contributes significantly to the overall development of a boxer especially during their formative years. He further added that kids shouldn’t be forced into playing the sport but rather should be given the time as well as space to build their own connection and develop at their own pace.  

Vikas Krishan remarked, “It is natural for a kid to be scared and step back with the fear of getting hit. It's the job of the family to keep the kids' spirits up. If I want my kids to take up boxing, I'll condition them gradually into the sport instead of imposing my will. I'll develop a curiosity about the sport.”

The welterweight boxer contested at the London 2012 Olympics and the Rio 2016 Olympics but had to return home empty-handed. Fortunately for him, he will have another shot at glory at the Tokyo 2021 Olympic games and he will be hoping to clinch his first Olympic medal next year.