Commonwealth Games 2018: With form on his side, Vikas Krishan will look to make golden debut at Gold Coast

Name: Vikas Krishan Age: 26 Sport: Boxing Category: Men’s 75 kg Past Commonwealth Games performance: Debutant [caption id=“attachment_4416327” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Vikas Krishan[/caption] In 2010, Vikas Krishan won gold medal at 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou. Eight years on, he will be making his debut at the Commonwealth Games as a top medal contender. In these eight years, Krishan has seen a lot of turnarounds in his career. At the age of 20, he lost in the quarter-final of the 2012 London Olympics. Taken aback by the loss, the boxer took a sabbatical from the sport for 18 months. It wasn’t until 2014 Asian games, where he won bronze, that he tasted some success after his comeback. In the subsequent year, Uzbekistan’s Bektemir Melikuziev defeated Krishan in the final of the Asian Boxing Championships. He entered the Rio Olympics, once again, as a medal contender but his tournament was cut short in the quarter-final, once again, by Melikuziev. This is what makes the trajectory of Krishan’s career quite interesting. The 2018 Commonwealth Games will be his first but apart from carrying the country’s hopes, he will also have to mentor the juniors. “I am the senior-most, there is added pressure on me to win, otherwise the juniors may lose heart. The idea is to do well so that these young guys can learn from us,” Krishan was quoted as saying to The Tribune. Luckily for Krishan, form is on his side. He finished with a gold medal at the Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament which will serve as a confidence booster for the 26-year old. He was also named as the best boxer at the event and was the first Indian to achieve that feat. As far as preparations go, Krishan seems to be ready for the big event at Gold Coast. There might be a bout of jitters given that this will be his first experience in the Commonwealth Games. But the wealth of experience that he has should keep him in good stead. “I have been part of the Indian boxing team for the last 15 years. If I still go through mental blocks, then how long will I last in this field?,” said Krishan to _Firspost_ when questioned whether he is nervous ahead of the competition. It might be a long wait of eight years but Krishan might not have any time to soak in the moment as he has his task cut out: to win India a medal and play the role of the mentor for juniors. Click here to read profiles of other Indian athletes involved in the Commonwealth Games 2018