‘Can’t waste govt money, if I don’t win’

NEW DELHI: Nothing but a gold medal from Jakarta would have satisfied Vikas Krishan. The 75kg middleweight boxer was on the right track too, till a nasty blow by China’s Tuoheta Erbieke Tanglatihan blurred his vision in the quarter-final bout at the Asian Games.

The resilient 26-year-old from Hisar, Haryana, braved the injury to win the match by a split decision. However, Vikas had to withdraw from the semifinals because of the injury and settled for a bronze.

The heartbreak, notwithstanding, he became the first from the country to win three straight Asian Games medals adding to his gold in Guangzhou and bronze in Incheon.

“The pain (from injury) made the fight an intense one. I could not see for some time. But I stuck on and fought like a warrior. I have been advised a fourweek break from any high impact training. There is a swelling in the retina of the left eye,” Vikas said over the phone.

Vikas, who had won gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, however, has an older wound that might take longer to heal.

“I lost in the quarter-finals of the 2016 Rio Olympics while in London (2012 Olympics) lost in the first round. That is one competition where I want to win. The government is spending several crore of rupees on our exposure trips and training. There’s no point taking that money and failing again and again,” he said.

Vikas is among the six boxers who are part of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) till the 2020 Olympics.

Like Vijender Singh, the first Indian boxer to win an Olympics medal, Vikas too has harboured dreams of becoming a professional boxer. But he is yet to make a final decision.

“I have discussed with Santiago Nieva (India’s high performance director) about the prospect of joining professional boxing. He has advised me to think over it calmly during the time I recover from the eye injury.

“If it helps me become better boxer, then why not? I want to be a favourite for Olympic medal on the basis of merit and not a favourable draw,” said Vikas before signing off.

The government is spending several crore of rupees on our exposure trips and training. There’s no point taking that money and failing again and again (at Olympics). VIKAS KRISHAN, ace boxer