Boxer Vikas Krishan undergoes shoulder surgery, to be out for three months
Vikas Krishan had suffered a first-round exit at the Tokyo Olympics due to the injured shoulder.
Veteran Indian boxer Vikas Krishan has undergone surgery to fix his dislocated shoulder which led to his early exit at the Tokyo Olympics.
The 29-year-old Vikas Krishan had injured his shoulder during the preparatory camp in Italy before the Olympics. The injury worsened during his opening bout in Tokyo.
Vikas Krishan took painkillers before the first-round match against Japan’s Sewonrets Okazawa but the severity of the injury forced the Indian boxer to use just one hand. Vikas also suffered a cut on his eye and lost the bout by unanimous decision.
Further tests revealed that multiple Asian championship medallist had also torn a muscle and a ligament, along with the dislocated shoulder.
Vikas Krishan, who had turned pro in 2018 but returned to compete at his third Olympics in Tokyo, was operated by orthopaedic surgeon Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala at Mumbai’s Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital.
"It was quite valiant of him to have gone ahead and fought the bout. But I guess that's what top athletes do, they blank out pain," Dr Pardiwala told PTI.
Dr Pardiwala is a sought-after name in the sports industry, having treated Olympic medallists and world champions such as PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, Sushil Kumar and cricketer Jasprit Bumrah.
Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra was also operated by the same doctor in 2019.
The Hisar-born pugilist’s shoulder will take three weeks to heal and will need three more months of rehab before Vikas can put on the gloves again.
"I believe all that bad that could have happened to me has happened and I will come out of it stronger and better. I am not going to give up," Vikas Krishan said.