Once parents asked what I was going to gain from the sport, recalls Deepak Kumar
Deepak Kumar claimed a Silver medal in the recently concluded Strandja Memorial, in Bulgaria
Indian boxer Deepak Kumar recalled when his parents asked what he was going to gain from the sport, with him now a national champion and a medal winner at the 2019 Asian Championships. The pugilist recently claimed the Silver medal in the 52kg event at the Srandja Memorial, in Bulgaria.
Boxing has been a popular sport in India, with most of them hailing from the Northern part of India. Hisar-based pugilist Deepak Kumar might not have made the cut for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, but he is a ‘man on a mission,’ with him having the better of world champion Shakhobiddin Zoirov of Uzbekistan, in the recently-concluded Starndja Memorial, in Bulgaria.
Even though he lost the final to Bulgaria’s Daniel Asenov in the men's flyweight event, Deepak won a million hearts with his performance. In a recent interview, he stated how his parents and other family members once pursued him to focus on his education and even asked what he was going to gain from the sport.
“They wanted me to focus on education. They both said 'what will you gain from this?'...My grandmother joined in too but then my uncle persisted and so did I. Eventually, they all came around," said Deepak Kumar, during an interview with PTI.
But, eventually, against the wishes of his family, Deepak has gone on to become a successful boxer, with him already a national champions and medal winner at the 2019 Asian Championships. It was his uncle who encouraged him to take up the sport.
"Chachaji (Ravinder Kumar) had a friend circle which was closely linked to boxing and he kind of prodded me into taking up the sport and I liked it. I am the first sportsperson in my family, such a proud feeling. And Chachaji is getting to live his dream through me," added the boxer.
