A string of punches was all it took — a swift uppercut to erase the Chicago World Championships despair, a left jab to push away the Bangkok disappointment and, most importantly, a straight right for a place at the Beijing Olympics. Vijender was back.

Third-time lucky, the boxer qualified for the August games after his gold-medal performance at a recently concluded qualifier in Astana, Kazakhstan. “There was a bit of tension for sure, after US and Bangkok. I was scared. But I also knew that this was my last chance. It was now or never,” Vijender told The Indian Express. And for more shades of retribution, take a look at his opponent in the final at Astana — the same Korean boxer who had sent his hopes crashing in Bangkok earlier this year.

At the start of the season, the pugilist from Bhiwani had been touted as a sureshot, a certainty to be the first to Beijing. Coach GS Sandhu said it was pressure that took its toll on him. “He was very demoralised. I had to speak to his parents, to his friends, and help him get back to his best. I was sure he would qualify; I told him ‘there can’t be a team without you’,” Sandhu said.

Vijender, too, said the two losses had been unexpected. “I lost in the second round at both places. I had bad luck, and a sore back. But something can be learnt from every loss. When I found I was going to face that same boxer here, I was 100 per cent confident of making it. I thought it was my chance to take revenge,” he said. Sure enough, he barely conceded any points on his way to victory.

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