(born October 29, 1985) (also known as Vijender Singh or Vijender Beniwal) is an Indian boxer from Kalwas village, Bhiwani district in Haryana. Born in a Hindu Jat family of Bhiwani, Vijender was inspired to take to the sport of boxing by his elder brother Manoj, a boxer himself.
1985–2003: Early life and foray into boxing
| Medal record |
Competitor for  India |
| Men's Boxing |
| World Amateur Boxing Championships |
| Bronze |
2009 Milan Middleweight |
| Olympic Games |
| Bronze |
2008 Beijing Middleweight |
| Commonwealth Games |
| Silver |
2006 Melbourne Welterweight |
| Asian Games |
| Bronze |
2006 Doha Middleweight |
2008–present: Beijing Olympics, Padma Shri award and AIBA top rank
After the wins in Germany, Vijender's training for the Olympics continued in Patiala where Indian boxers going to the Olympics held a camp. Vijender was accompanied by boxers Dinesh Kumar, Akhil Kumar, Jitender Kumar and Antharish Lakra. The Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF) sent a videographer to shoot extensively the bouts involving the likely opponents of the five Indian boxers. A team of coaches went through the video footage shot by videographer Sambhu of the National Institute of Sports, Patiala, and studied the technique of the boxers from various countries in detail, so as to prepare Vijender and the others regarding the opponent's maneuvers and fighting techniques.
At the 2008 Summer Olympics, he defeated Badou Jack of Gambia 13–2 in the round of 32. In the round of 16, he defeated Angkhan Chomphuphuang of Thailand 13–3 to reach the Middleweight Boxing Quarterfinals. He beat southpaw Carlos Góngora of Ecuador 9–4 in the quarterfinals on 20 August 2008 which guaranteed him a medal, the first ever Olympic medal for an Indian boxer. He lost 5–8 to Cuba's Emilio Correa in the semi-finals on 22 August 2008 and shared a bronze medal. Vijender, and Indian wrestler Sushil Kumar—who won a bronze at the mens' wrestling competitions—were welcomed grandly to India after their victory.
Awards: In July 2009, Vijender accompanied by Sushil and boxer Mary Kom were felicitated with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award—India's highest sporting honour.
