Vijender Singh, who hails from the Bhiwani district of Haryana was applauded by the Haryana Governor, Jagannath Pahadia and Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda for bringing laurels not only for the state but also for the country.

 

“I am obviously elated at being ranked the highest in the world. It’s a fantastic feeling and would motivate me to do better in future events,” said Vijender.

 

Vijender became the first Indian boxer to win an Olympic medal when he won bronze in the middleweight category in 2008 followed by another bronze at World Amateur Boxing Championships in Milan.

 

PK Muralidhar Raja, the secretary general of Indian Boxing Federation said, “It is a very big achievement for Indian boxing and will give a psychological boost to other boxers besides acting as a catalyst for them.”

 

Beside Dinesh Kumar who stuck to his sixth spot with 1550 points in the light weight (81kg) category, other Indian boxers haven’t fared so well. Nanao Singh has come down to eight place with 1400 points in the light fly weight category (48kg). Akhil Kumar, has slipped to 10th in feather weight (57kg) category with 1050 points. His recent switch to the bantamweight category will take a toll on his rankings. Jitender Kumar (54kg) came down a place to 14th with 838 points. Suranjoy Singh was 17th in the fly weight (51kg) category rankings.

 

“Owing to ordinary performances, other boxers could not score points in the World championship. However, the President’s Cup in Azerbaijan in December will give them an opportunity to improve upon their rankings,” said Raja.