THIRD medal for INDIA

Vijender reacts after winning quarters. (AP Photo) |

BEIJING: Vijender Kumar spent most of Thursday brainstorming with his coaches BI Fernandez and GS Sandhu, working out strategies for Friday’s semi-final bout against Cuba’s Emilio Bayeux Correa. ( Watch ) Also read Fernandez predicts tough fight He refused to speak to the media in the morning, put his cell phone on silent mode and tried to shut out the world outside. He knows he has an unfinished job on hand and does not want to be reminded of what happened on Wednesday night. He does not want to revel in the fact that he became the first Indian boxer to ensure the country an Olympics medal. It must have kept coming back to him the night before, flooding his mind with emotions. But that was the night before. Euphoria has been put to rest for now. ‘‘He is focusing on the big fight. He could not sleep last night. Please don’t disturb him. He won’t speak to anyone now. Call in the evening,’’ Sandhu said. There’s nothing new to say anyway. This 23-year-old middleweight boxer from Bhiwani had said what he wanted to after creating history last night. ‘‘I do not want to think about what has happened today. I have a lot of work to do. The Cuban is a strong boxer so I want to ready. I’m going for gold,’’ he had said. Vijender is not known to speak much, unlike the other two Bhiwani boys who came so close to the medal, Akhil Kumar and Jitender Kumar. He is not one for that special byte. He keeps it simple, like he does it in the boxing ring. He doesn’t get rushed and doesn’t seem to be working too hard at it. He enjoys boxing, loves dancing in the ring and landing punches in a counterattack. ‘‘Bahut mazaa aaya (I had a great time in the ring),’’ he said last night after the victory. He said the same thing after his first round win. For him, boxing is not just about winning a medal, it’s also about having fun. That takes a lot of pressure off him. But there was a lot of pressure going into his quarterfinal bout. ‘‘After Akhil’s loss, I was under pressure. I saw everyone’s face that night in the Village and told myself this has got to change.’’ He succeeded in doing that but the journey is not yet over. Not many know that Vijender is a deeply religious person. The 23-year-old from Bhiwani prays regularly ‘‘for peace of mind and well being of my family.’’ He is also deeply attached to his friends. On Wednesday night he told the group of Indian media persons here: ‘‘My win today is due to the ‘shivyatra’ that my friend Ram Singh took for me to Haridwar.’’ Not many know either that he nurses a desire to be a Bollywood star. In fact, the good-looking, six-footer even got his portfolio made from a well-known photographer and met a few producers and modelling agencies. Nothing much came out of it then, but today Vijender is a star. Don’t be surprised to see his face during ad breaks on your TV sets in the future. As for now, drop everything at 12.45 pm. (IST) on Friday. ‘Viju’ will be there in the Bull Ring, itching to change the punch-line again. Contender Opponent Vijender Kumar (India) Emilio Correa Bayeaux Jr (Cuba) DoB: October 25, 1985 Height: Six feet Weight: 75 kg DoB: October 12, 1985 Height: Five feet 11 inches Weight: 75 kg Coach: BI Fernandes of Cuba and Gurbax Singh Sandhu Idol: Akhil Kumar Coach: Pedro Roque Idol: Father, Emilio Correa Sr. Style: Mix of aggression and tight guard; Uses his height for probing and then back-pedalling Achievements: First Indian boxer in Olympic semi-finals; Silver Medallist at 2007 Asian Championships; Lost in round of 32 at 2004 Olympics and 2007 World Championships in Chicago Style: Excellent footwork; Stinging right punch; an aggressive boxer but sometimes displays desperation Achievements: Silver Medallist at 2004 World Junior Championships; a middleweight bronze from the 2005 World Championships besides gold medals at the 2005 and 2008 Pan American Championships and the 2007 PanAm Games. Remarks: Looks at teammate Akhil as his friend, philosopher and guide; his good looks have attracted the attention of International fashion magazines; he could get lot of endorsement deals after this medal Remarks: Son of Welterweight Emilio Correa Sr. the Olympic gold medallist in 1972 Munich Games; father also won the 1971 PanAm Games gold medal and 1974 World welterweight gold medal.