The Tokyo Olympics and the few months that followed was a real test of mental resilience for boxer Vikas Krishan. Having 'fought with one hand' then (his other hand was injured), he had no choice but to undergo surgery to fix his injured right shoulder and a torn ligament. After a successful surgery, he had to be patient. For someone who's used to high adrenaline levels, staying at home was frustrating to say the least. Having family by his side helped. Vikas, who's a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) with the Haryana government, was also learning about nabbing criminals to keep himself occupied.
"It was a really frustrating period. But I was with my family, my wife, my kids and parents. If they were not with me, I would be depressed. So it was good to have them. I was also learning about policing, how to catch criminals. I learnt that to some extent," Vikas says while recalling that critical period.Those days are behind him now as he's ready to return to the ring. The experienced campaigner is as good as new and eager for a new cycle, a cycle he hopes will produce bigger results. He's aiming to go to the US and train with some professional boxers to improve his skills."My shoulder is perfect. A few days ago, I did some sparring too and it was absolutely fine. I feel completely relaxed, it was a good experience. I'm going to the US soon. I'll go maybe next month."
Having had the experience of training there, the 30-year-old, who's got a deal with Top Rank Boxing (one of the sport's well-known promotion companies), feels another stint in the US will help him become a better boxer and help him ahead of Asian Games and Olympic qualifiers next year. "I want to train with professional boxers so that I can improve my game so that I can be well-prepared for Asian Games and the next Olympics," says Vikas, who's targetting 80kg category after the 75kg category was scrapped from the Olympic programme.
The former World Championships medallist said that he's still following the training routine set by Ronald Simms, his former coach at JSW Sports. He said that he has applied for a US visa and he'll be based in Virginia."The boxers out there are mentally tough. I have been more or less on top at my weight category for some time in India and it's difficult to improve after a certain point. That is one reason I prefer to go to the US so that I can spar with better boxers. If I get hit, I could learn from that experience and improve."
Vikas had sustained the shoulder injury just before the Olympics during a training camp in Italy. Given that the unfortunate injury had occurred at the eleventh hour, he was not ready to go down without a fight. "It is impossible to win with one hand in any championship. I participated hoping to give my best. You never know who is carrying what injury. But my opponent was in better shape, he was injury-free and he won."
One major thing that has helped him be back on his feet and be ready for more challenges is mental make-up. It's clear that he knows how to keep his emotions in check, something he would have learnt over the years."Whenever I'm demoralised or happy, I remember one quote: 'this time will change'. It has been a difficult phase for a year or so. I was not able to do much boxing but I was remembering those lines. Now, I'm back in the ring, I want to achieve great things inside the ring."He's also thankful to Manisha Malhotra, Head of Sports Excellence & Scouting at JSW Sports, someone who has helped him during his injury crises and someone who continues to check on his progress.