Still have a long way to go, says boxer Vishvanath on winning World Youth championships

Son of a tailor Suresh Babu, Vishwanath has seen the tough grind of life.

It’s hardly 12 hours since S. Vishvanath returned from Spain to Pune, obviously he has jetlag. The 18-year-old feels sleepy but still spoke to The Hindu on winning the 48kg gold medal in the IBA World youth boxing championships in La Nucia recently. “It feels great as the event happens once every two years. I still have a long way to go. My ultimate goal is to win a medal at the Olympics though my (48 Kg) category is not in the 2024 Paris Olympics,” he said.

Son of a tailor Suresh Babu, Vishwanath has seen the tough grind of life. Suresh, a state and National-level boxer, couldn’t continue his boxing as he as the eldest sibling (three sisters and a brother), had to take care of his family.

“I wanted to pursue boxing at a higher level. Mine was a big family. My responsibilities were huge. I stopped after winning the gold in the sub-junior level,” he said.

Suresh put all his efforts in ensuring that his son reached the elite level in boxing.. Finding it difficult to arrange for the finances for coaching, Suresh decided to coach his son.

While Vishvanath did his fitness at the Corporation Ground in Perambur near his home, the techniques of the sport were taught by Suresh at their home.

Then in Std.. VII, Vishvanath tried to get into MEG Centre in Bengaluru, but couldn’t get through the selection trials. “He didn’t have the required height,” said Suresh.

It was a relief when he was picked by Army Sports Institute (ASI) in Pune in 2018, he is a Havildar now.