I don't need luck. Will go inside the ring to win Olympic medal | By Vikas Krishan

I am realising that pressure for the Tokyo Games is building up on me. I am bearing the expectations of many - from fans, friends and family members, and whoever knows me and the journey that I have pursued. I also have my own mechanism to cope with the pressure. We were not prepared to face the long gap in our tournaments because of India's coronavirus outbreak. But as soon as the lockdown was lifted, I focussed my attention on training. It is through this training; I was able to cope with the pressure on me.

The situation was quite worse last year and all our plans were disrupted by it. I still managed to train indoors and do the best possible because I knew I had to be fully ready for the Olympics. I don't know whether I should say this, but I have trained like the best in the world and never let the thought of the Olympics fade away from my mind. It was tough to stay motivated when the Games were postponed until a year, but I stopped thinking about it on a single occasion. My training stint in the USA has been very fruitful, and with just 37 days remaining for the Olympics, I can assess that I am going to win a medal.

Also read: Vikas Krishan is on prowl to becoming India's best-ever boxer in his last Olympics

This is my third Olympics. I don't need any luck, I will go straight into the ring, give my best and win the medal. I know I have to beat the boxers who are top-ranked in the world, eventually to win the medal but I am confident about my preparation and would do whatever it takes to win the medal—just being very straightforward and saying that this is my time!

This confidence has helped me achieve what I am today. A few weeks ago, I was feeling low. In the Asian Championships, I didn't perform according to my expectations. I was not feeling 100%, and that when I picked up my phone and just called up my dear friend Neeraj Goyat. He has come down to help me train for the Olympics. The confidence you see in me has come from Neeraj.

Being a southpaw boxer, it is not always easy to get training in India. In the Olympics, my weight category will have 28 boxers, and 14 of them are southpaws. So this time, I am better prepared to face the southpaw boxers. Last time, I took part in the 75kg category, but this time it will be the 69kg category. I have made all the sacrifices and cut my weight accordingly. This is my peak time, and I will showcase how good a boxer I am.

Whatever preparation we have to take has to be done before leaving for Tokyo. Once we reach the Games village, the focus would solely be on seed training. I am absolutely resolved with my mindset regarding Tokyo as I will be the first Indian boxer who will go inside the ring at the Olympics. My first bout is on July 24.

With experience comes contemplation. I often get up in the middle of the night thinking about the future match and try to analyse in my mind the consequences if I win or lose the match. This change has come over time. I am calm and keeping control of my emotions. In 2010, when I made my debut at the Asian Games, I was the youngest member of the Indian boxing contingent, and now, I am the senior-most member of the team. So I am well aware of the situation and focus on the minutest detail of my fight instead of running high on emotions. I am the captain of the Indian team now, so apart from my own bout, it's also about setting the right example for my team members.

But the fun fact is, I never watch any other Indian boxers fight in their respective bouts. If you want to call it superstition, you can. But whenever I saw an Indian boxer fighting, they lost. So I have stopped watching their fights. I will carry on this tradition in Olympics as well and I hope all of our boxers bag a medal.

Courtesy: JSW Sports & Inspire Institute of Sport