CHENNAI: A dream once nurtured by his father is now lived by Vishwanath Suresh, unfolding one step at a time. The 21-year-old, son of a former boxer-turned-tailor, won gold in the 50kg category at the recently concluded Asian Boxing Championships, emerging as the only Indian male to stand on the podium.En route to the title, the Tamil Nadu boxer produced a pivotal moment in the quarterfinals, defeating reigning world champion and world No. 1 Sanzher Tashkanbe. In his first major senior victory, Vishwanath showed remarkable consistency, winning every bout by unanimous decision.“It’s a huge achievement, and this medal will boost my confidence ahead of the Commonwealth and Asian Games. I was consistent and in the quarter-finals I didn’t think of my opponent as a world champion. If I did, I might get stressed. To me he was just another boxer, and I believed in my abilities.“After each round (in the quarters), my confidence grew, and in the final round, I knocked it down. Immediately after the result, I knew I was going to win the gold medal,” Viswanath, a havaldar in the Indian Army, told TOI.Behind this success is a strong foundation built by his father, Suresh, who inspired him into the sport. A former national-level medalist and a talented boxer in the 1990s, Suresh shouldered the responsibilities of his ambitions. After passing on the basics to his son, he looked for the right platform to nurture his talent.The journey was not easy. Vishwanath’s modest construction led to several rejections, including from the Madras Engineer Group in Bangalore. But persistence opened doors, as he eventually got selected in Pune’s Army Sports Institute (ASI) in 2018. He achieved his first major recognition by winning gold at the 2022 Asian Youth Championships.
