“My coaches, especially Jaidev Bisht, were a great help. They devised a special programme to help me prepare for the qualifiers. They made me work on my footwork and straight punches, which is one of my strengths now. The training camps were very helpful, and I will continue with the same techniques right till the Olympics.”

The boxers returned from Kazakhstan on Wednesday night, and Vijender immediately made his way home to Bhiwani. He returns to Delhi this evening for the Inter-Railways boxing tournament, which begins from Friday.

“In Beijing, we’ll see what happens. The hope for a medal is always there. The boxers from Cuba and Russia will provide the toughest competition, but I’ll give it my best shot,” he added.