Boxer Vijender Singh on medals, movies and that dream Audi

Congratulations for being ranked No.1 in the middle weight category. Did you ever think or dream you’d reach this far when you first started boxing in 1999?
Never. When I began boxing 10 years ago, my aim was to get a good job in the government. It went step by step. I began with trying to box well to get a job. And once I got a job, I wanted to box well to flourish in the sport. It was only after the 2004 Athens Olympics, where I lost in the first round, that I decided that the next time I play in the tournament, I should win a medal.

Tell us about your years of struggle. Your father, a bus driver, worked overtime and your mother never bought new saris, to fund your game.
Frankly, I’ve never experienced the struggle myself. It’s my parents who struggled so that I didn’t have to. The only kind of struggle or problems I faced have had to do with the ups and downs inside the boxing ring.

Is it true that you were working on the side and modelling in the initial years?
Yes, in 2004 and 2005, I had a railway job. I was the head TT in Jaipur. Today, I am a DSP (deputy superintendent of police) with the Haryana police. I was also modelling for clothes, watches and publications. I enjoyed modelling. It was different and I used to do it over the weekends, when I wasn’t boxing.

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