Virender, silver lining for boxing in Himachal

Gaurav Kanthwal

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 3

Virender Thakur belongs to that rare breed of sportspersons from Himachal Pradesh who have done well on the national stage. The heavyweight boxer from Bobar village in Sundernagar won a silver medal in the just-concluded second National Boxing Championship at Visakhapatnam.

Thakur reached the 91kg category final but lost to Haryana’s Naman 0-5 in the gold-medal bout. He beat Meghalaya’s Kishan Thapa 4-1 in the semifinals. Elated over his achievement, the 25-year-old pugilist said, “I was keen to win the gold medal but my opponent in the final proved to be a better boxer than me. I am looking forward to doing well in the national camp now and improving my game further.”

Thakur’s achievement is remarkable for this is his second consecutive medal in the boxing Nationals — the heavyweight boxer won a silver medal in 2016 in Guwahati also.

A product of Sundernagar’s Maharaja Lakshman Sen Memorial College, Thakur took up boxing seriously after winning the gold medal in the Panchayat Yuva Krida Aur Khel Abhiyan Nationals in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, in 2008.

Under the guidance of coach Naresh Thakur, Virender Thakur honed his skills during his college days and continued his passion after joining the Indian Army. “At the Army Sports Institute (ASI) in Pune, I worked on my technique and learnt a lot from my seniors. For the last one year, I have been in the national camp and hope to represent India in international competitions,” he said. Thakur names his first coach, Naresh Thakur, as the real inspiration behind his success. “My coach worked very hard on me. I owe everything to him,” he said. “It is because of him I took up the sport and reached this level. I am hopeful many more boxers will emerge from the Centre of Excellence run by Sports Authority of India in Sundernagar.”