No promotion, no sponsors, still...

A promotion promised six years back hasn't come through even now and the sponsors also never quite warmed up to him but Olympic-bound boxer Manoj Kumar says his stubborn streak prevented him from quitting the sport during what seemed like a never-ending dark phase.

"I have Maratha roots and I am inspired by the great Shivaji. I draw my strength form his beliefs, that's what makes me so stubborn. And it is this stubbornness which helped me fight the circumstances," Manoj, who competes in light welterweight (64kg) division, told PTI.

The circumstances he refers to, include a frustrating wait for a departmental promotion he was promised after the 2010 CWG gold. A Class III employee in the Indian Railways, Manoj was promised an elevation by the then union minister Mamata Banerjee.

Since that promise, seven ministers have come and gone but what has remained static is Manoj's plight.

"I have written to everyone who came to office. From Mukul Roy to current minister Suresh Prabhu. I have been assured of action by each one of them but then nothing moves on the ground," said Manoj, a tad baffled by the mechanisms of bureaucracy.

"As for sponsors, I wrote to every major company seeking support but perhaps nobody thought I could make it this far. So there was no response from there as well. I have nobody to speak for me, so that also goes against me at times," he added.

Asked if he ever gave quitting a thought, "Not even for a fleeting second. Never. It's a lot of fun proving people wrong, I feel good about myself now. I have managed whatever I have without the backing of anybody apart from my coach and elder brother Rajesh."

Athletes from Haryana have usually benefitted immensely from government support, but Manoj said he has been an exception to the rule.

"May be it is because I can't bend before people. I speak my mind, I don't try to please. I really don't know. In this country, cricketers, even from Bangladesh, find sponsors but not people like me, why? Are we that bad? It is beyond me? There have been days, I have broken down mentally. Boxing is a painful sport, the pain that we go through just to be competition ready is immense and to not have anybody to look after in all this is very disheartening," he claimed.

Manoj, who had to fight a legal battle to get the Arjuna award after being denied initially despite fulfilling the criteria, said he has face discrimination at every step.