NEW DELHI, Aug 22: Eight years ago, he scripted history by opening the country�s account in amateur boxing�s marquee event and Vijender Singh feels India might just go one better on that during the 19th World Championship, starting August 25 in Hamburg.
The 31-year-old had fetched a bronze medal at the 15th World Championship in Milan, just over a year after becoming India�s first Olympic medallist in boxing � a bronze-winner at the 2008 Beijing Games.
The nation has a bronze each to show for in the 2009, 2011 and 2015 World Championships � the other two bronze-medallists, apart from Vijender, being Vikas Krishan (2011) and Shiva Thapa (2015).
�It is a mature bunch of boxers. I have been in teams that had Shiva (Thapa), Vikas (Krishan) and Manoj (Kumar). So, I know some of them well. They have the ability to ensure that India ends up with more than one medal. If they compete to their full potential, I think there is a real chance of more than one medal,� Vijender told PTI in an interview.
�They have competed at the highest level in the past and know what they should do. I cannot give any suggestions to them but I can just say, they need to be very focused,� he added.
Both Vikas (75kg) and Shiva (60kg) are part of the eight-member team, which has already reached Hamburg after qualifying for the event through the Asian Championships earlier this year. � PTI
