India put up their best show ever in Beijing Olympics and with three medals in the kitty, it's boom time for the companies as they cash in on India's newest sports stars. And guess who's making the big bucks? No, it's not golden boy Abhinav Bindra, but the country's newest pin up boy, Vijender Kumar, who signed up with an insurance company on Thursday. "This is why I am here. This is why I've reached this far. If I don't get these insured then what will I do?" said Vijender Kumar, bronze medalist in Beijing Olympics. He says he feels like a star these days, and now he's even talking like one. He has the looks, the attitude, and an Olympic medal as well, so the endorsements are following. Insurance company Bajaj Allianz has signed Vijender for a long term contract. He's their first brand ambassador and was chosen ahead of a cricketer or even gold medalist Abhinav Bindra.
"We are about masses, and he has a capability of reaching out to masses. He can reach out to a very middle class culture and he connects much better," said Akshaye Mehrotra, Marketing Head, Bajaj Allianz. Bajaj could not confirm when Vijender’s advertisement will be on TV screens or whether he will be used for print campaigns but the deal which is said to be worth Rs 60 lakh certainly marks a new beginning for boxing and Olympics. "See boxing is my priority and nothing else. Modelling and everything else is later only when I have time. This is what has given me an identity. If I had to become a model, I would never have come back with a bronze," said Kumar. So, this is just the beginning of things for Vijender. And it’s not just Vijender, sources told NDTV that his fellow boxers, Akhil and Jitender, are also being roped in by other brands. So, it looks like endorsement rules are about to be re-written.