Happy Birthday Vijender Singh: Olympic Bronze, Silk Screen and Politics

India's boxing icon Vijender Singh celebrates his 41st birthday on Thursday, October 29. From winning Olympic glory to making his mark in films and politics, his life story continues to inspire many.

Vijender Singh Beniwal was born on October 29, 1985, in Kaluwas village, Haryana. His father worked as a bus driver with the Haryana Roadways, and his mother was a homemaker. Money was tight at home, so Vijender set his sights on a boxing career to help his family move towards financial stability.

The sport first caught his attention through his elder brother Manoj, a former boxer. In 1998, Manoj got a job in the Indian Army on the strength of his boxing, and he later stepped in to support Vijender financially. Vijender holds a graduate degree, though his parents never insisted that he focus solely on studies, believing in his natural ability.

His early training took place at the Bhiwani Boxing Club, where former national boxer and coach Jagdish Singh spotted his potential. Vijender earned silver at the 1997 sub-junior nationals and won his first national gold in 2000. In 2003, he became the All India Youth Boxing Champion.

At the 2004 Athens Olympics, he lost 20-25 to Mustafa Karagoz of Turkey. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he won bronze, making history as the first Indian boxer to earn an Olympic medal in the sport. Further medals followed at the 2009 World Championships, the 2010 Commonwealth Games and the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

In June 2015, Vijender became a professional boxer, which made him ineligible for the 2016 Rio Olympics. He has continued to find success in the professional ranks.

His Olympic success brought him wider fame, leading to roles in films and advertisements. He appeared in Fugly in 2014 and Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ka Jaan in 2023.

Vijender has also been active in politics. He contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections on a Congress ticket and later joined the BJP before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

For his services to boxing, he has received the Arjuna Award and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award. He was also conferred the Padma Shri in 2010.