The Hindu : New Delhi News : “Even without a medal, Akhil is Bhiwani’s diamond”

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Tuesday, Aug 19, 2008
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New Delhi

“Even without a medal, Akhil is Bhiwani’s diamond”

Vrinda Sharma

BHIWANI: Cheering voices were sucked into a vacuum ofsilence at the State-run Indian Boxing Centre (IBC) here, when Akhil Kumar (27) punched out of the Olympics race after loosing 10-3 to Veaceslav Gojan of Molodovan.

Despite the defeat, Akhil who trained here for 10 years was not less than a winner for his coach Jagdish. “He is no lesser a hero for us. We will welcome him as if he has won us a gold medal because he is a diamond in himself,” said IBC director Brish Bhan.

Despite tears trickling down their cheeks young boys who had come to cheer for the senior-most pugilist said that they were not the least troubled, “Before the match started we had collected fire crackers to celebrate. So what if he didn’t win this time? We will welcome him with these crackers on his arrival,” said Pavan (10) who came to the centre to watch ‘Akhil Bhai.’

Gojan earned the first point but Akhil leveled it towards the end of first round. However in the second round both leveled 2-2.

In the penultimate round, Gojan who had been in extreme defensive mode went in to the attacking mode and picked up three points taking his lead to 6-2.

“The fellow who beat ‘Akhil bhai’ was just too defensive; our boys fight with attack,” said Mahesh Deb who has been working at the boxing centre for over twenty years.

“There are no disappointments in sports,” said one of the trainees at the centre, “It’s for the first time ever that we have sent five boxers to Olympics. India’s hopes are still alive. Even if they all come back without any medal, the common wealth games are not very far; at that time we will have our country men cheering for us.”

Bhiwani is known as India’s “little Cuba” because here a career in boxing brings along a secure government job and a enhanced social status.

The “boxing boom” in Haryana, or Bhiwani to be more specific, has been set off by the systematic promotion of the Sport along backed by financial incentives.

The sound support of sponsors and boxing clubs and boxing idols like Arjuna Awardee the late Hawa Singh, who picked up two gold medals in the Asian Games and remained the national champion in his weight category for a staggering 11 consecutive years, have also inspired the young men here to take to boxing.

Eshwar Chand, who owns a juice shop close to the Bhiwani Boxing Club (BBC for the locals), shut his shop and prepared to go home well before the evening rush because he was heart broken, “When a boxer wins a medal, I feel that I have won a medal. If they loose, I pray for their victory in the next competition while they work hard for it,” said the 66-year-old.

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