Who is Vikas Krishan? Top 5 things you didn't know about the Indian boxer

Vikas Krishan is one of India's best boxers and has time and again proven it with outstanding performances in international competitions. The 29-year-old will be going to his third Olympics, making him only the second Indian boxer to appear at three Olympic Games.

As he chases Olympic glory, here are five things you didn't know about the Indian boxer.

#1 Vikas Krishan is a three-time Asiad medalist

The numbers, the records, the medals. It's all in here! 🔥Vikas Krishan Yadav is a medal hopeful for India at #Tokyo2020, and we're all rooting for him at his third Olympic appearance. 🇮🇳#CraftingVictories #Olympics pic.twitter.com/8e8waqGl67

— Inspire Institute of Sport (@IIS_Vijayanagar) July 8, 2021

Vikas Krishan is a three-time Asian Games medalist, having won gold in 2010 and bronze medals in 2014 and 2018.

The 29-year-old has also bagged three Asian Championship medals, including one silver and two bronze medals. He also won gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. It is only the Olympic medal that has eluded him so far and he will be gunning for that at the Tokyo Olympics.

#2 Vikas Krishan has also competed in professional boxing

Having won all the accolades in amateur boxing, Vikas Krishan set out for professional boxing in 2019. He has only been in two bouts but has managed to remain undefeated in them.

Krishan's first professional bout was against Steven Andrade from the USA. Vikas knocked him out to start his professional boxing career with a win. His next bout was against Noah Kidd and he won this bout after an intense matchup with the American.

#3 Vikas Krishan had a training stint in America

Last year Vikas Krishan moved to the USA to train for the Olympics. Vikas has gained a lot of exposure in his stint there and will be a lot more confident heading into the Tokyo Olympics.

In an interview with Inside Sport, Vikas Krishan said:

"I trained in the US for two and a half months. It was really a nice experience there. I trained with some of the hard boxers. They punch really hard and don't back out, so I got the experience and toughness from them. And apart from that, I increased my strength there when I was training."

#4 Vikas Krishan and his long-time boxing friend

Vikas Krishan has been training with his best friend Neeraj Goyat for a long time. Neeraj, who is also a boxer, has a 12-3 record and is constantly seen with Vikas in his training sessions and workouts. Two years back Vikas Krishan challenged ace Indian boxer Vijender Singh for calling his friend Neeraj a 'kid'.

#5 Vikas Krishan is confident going into the Olympics

Going into his third Olympics, Vikas Krishan is confident of coming back with a medal. The Asian Games gold medalist has trained hard for the Olympics in the USA and is currently in Rome preparing for what he has hinted would be his last Olympics.

Speaking to PTI, the Haryana boxer has admitted he was indisciplined in the past, which cost him several matches, but has now turned over a new leaf.

"I was too reliant on luck earlier, the draw mattered more than it should. I was indisciplined, I did not train as rigorously as I should have in previous years."