Vijender, still good as gold

His Olympics campaign at an end — and a happy one on balance, bringing India its first medal, a bronze, in boxing — Vijender has now moved beyond the apologies he kept repeating to his country for failing to gain a slot in the middleweight (75 kg) final. He now has the clarity to see the mistakes he made.

Yes, he says, he would have played differently if he could start that match again: “I made mistakes. In the third round I got aggressive. I should have used my head.”

It’s a different analysis from the one floating around on this rare blue-sky day, by which he lost the bout in the first round when Cuba’s Emilio Correa Bayeaux took a 2:0 lead. After all, so much of the Indian strategy at these Games has balanced on running away with bouts on the momentum of an early flurry of points.

The Cuban was no pushover, coming as he does from a strong Caribbean boxing tradition. His father won a gold in boxing in the 1972 Munich Games.

But the semi-final defeat returns Vijender to the benefits that come with international experience. It was, for instance, not bravado when he said after his pre-quarterfinal win over Thailand’s Angkhan Chomphuphuang that he does not lose to the same boxer twice. Today, he says, he will be better prepared if he meets Bayeaux again.

So, the disappointment of this afternoon is not cause for disheartenment. And the scene outside the athletes’ entrance at the Workers’ Gymnasium attested to that, as Indian fans and Haryana politicians milled around festively.

There were reportedly other words of encouragement. Former world champion Evander Holyfield, who was once again at the stadium today, was impressed and praised Vijender. I would have met him if I knew he was there, says the Bhiwani boy.

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