Tokyo-bound boxer Manish Kaushik hails from Devsar village, about 5km from the cradle of Indian boxing Bhiwani.
It is no surprise that Kaushik’s initiation into the game coincided with boxing’s phenomenal rise in India after Vijender Singh, considered one of Bhiwani’s most well-known sons, turned the nation’s first Olympic medallist within the sport with a bronze within the 2008 Beijing Games.Before that, boxing for Manish was only a sport. But then, it changed into a ardour when Vijender received the elusive bronze.“Manish must be 12 when Vijender won the Olympic medal. After that, boxing became a famous sport in Haryana because of Vijender. He found it very attractive and decided to take it up as a career,” remembers Manish’s elder brother Vipin Kaushik in an unique interview with IndiaRight now.In.Cut to current, Manish, 25, has booked his berth for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics within the 63kg class and is gunning for glory on the Tokyo Olympics.Pandemic, a blessing in disguise During the Asia/Oceania Olympic qualifiers playoff in opposition to Australia’s Harry Garside in Amman, Jordan, Kaushik didn’t use his proper hand after the opening spherical and but recorded a cut up 4:1 win to safe the ninth Olympic quota for India and avenge his loss within the 2018 Commonwealth Games last. Manish Kaushik might be taking part in his maiden Olympics (Courtesy: AFP)“He injured his right hand during the bout, and when he returned home, there was little chance of him making it into the Olympics if it would have gone as scheduled,” stated Vipin.The Covid-19 pandemic got here as a blessing for Manish, and he acquired an ample period of time to get better.“The postponement of the Olympics helped him recover. However, I still remember how he was unable to land punches with his right fist. I have seen tears in his eyes every time he used to hit at the punching bag,” stated Vipin.“Generally, all boxers attend training sessions in the mornings and evenings, but Kaushik used to train in the afternoons too,” added Vipin.Manish got here to the limelight for the primary time when he received a bronze medal on his debut on the World Boxing Championship held in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2019.C A Kuttappa, males’s nationwide head coach, says his boxing has a aptitude of each Vijender Singh and Akhil Kumar. He stated: “Since joining the India camp, Manish has improved tactically. He is the country’s most gifted boxer at present. I won’t compare him to Akhil or Vijender, but he has the skills and intelligence of rare good boxers. He is a busy boxer in the ring, which confuses the opponents.”The Shiva Thapa duel Kaushik has a fierce rivalry with Shiva Thapa, to whom he misplaced within the 2016 nationals in 60 kg however avenged his loss a yr later on the senior nationals.In 2018, Kaushik beat Thapa for a spot within the CWG squad, whereas the latter snatched the Asian Games place from him final yr. Both moved to 63 kg, the place Kaushik misplaced to Thapa as soon as once more within the Asian Championship trials however defeated Thapa on the trials for the World Championships in 2019. In 2020, Kaushik had the higher hand within the trials for the world championship.Ever since that intense last in 2016, through which blood additionally spilled, Kaushik and Thapa have been locked in a battle of supremacy. It received’t be a stretch to say that Kaushik is, proper now, forward of Thapa within the pecking order.“I’ve by no means seen this sort of rivalry. Every time he faces Shiva, he’ll return with marks and cuts. We used to get fearful, however he was targeted. I vividly bear in mind he advised me as soon as, ‘If I want to be the best, I will have to beat the best,’ stated Vipin.Guts and gloryIndia’s Olympic-bound boxing contingent, which is making ready for the Games in Italy, will depart for Tokyo from its coaching base in Assisi on July 17. An unprecedented 9 Indian pugilists have certified for the Tokyo Olympics, together with 5 males and 4 girls.India’s first boxing medal within the Olympics got here in 2008 when Vijender Singh claimed the middleweight bronze, adopted by Mary Kom’s medal in 2012.Kaushik’s fearlessness makes him a scorching prospect to observe into the footsteps of Vijender and additional improve Bhiwani’s ever-growing repute, however It goes to be an extended highway for Manish to realize that dream. But the light-welterweight boxer is aware of the significance of persistence and perseverance and that he’s simply off the blocks.