Pix: RAMAKANT KUSHWAHA

Winning the bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics was a life-changing moment for me. It was also the first ever Olympic medal for an Indian boxer. After the win I was suddenly catapulted into limelight. Not only did I receive a rousing welcome upon my return home but was also generously rewarded for making the nation proud. I made a trip to Mumbai for the first time in my life and found myself rubbing shoulders with actors Priyanka Chopra, Salman Khan and Ranbir Kapoor.

I was overawed to see celebrities make a beeline to meet me. The media too was more welcoming than ever and I was also flooded with offers to do films and TV commercials. The triumph brought me fame and money. But I’m not one to rest on my laurels and didn’t let this success go to my head. It has only made me headstrong and left me yearning for more. Today, people’s expectations of me have risen and I surely don’t want to disappoint anybody. I hope I can repeat this performance at this year’s London Olympics.

Clinching the gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi was also one of the big turning points of my life. It was my first big international win after the Beijing Olympics. I fought despite a bleeding nose and was scared that the referee might declare me medically unfit and stop the bout. Fortunately, that didn’t happen and the victory boosted my confidence levels massively.

Looking back at the early days of my career, I think my first overseas trip to Germany in 2001 (for a tournament that I eventually won), changed me a lot as a person. It helped build my personality and opened my mind to a lot of things. I met people from varied backgrounds and I learnt a lot. For someone like me, who comes from a small town in Haryana, even sitting in an aircraft was like a dream at that point of time. After that tournament, I went on to become the junior national champion for two consecutive years (2001 and 2002) and bagged the senior national championship in 2003 and was also adjudged the Best Boxer. All these events have been major milestones in my life.

(As told to Anupma Tripathi)