Vivek started playing Judo at a young age. Because of his performance in the sport, he was able to get admission to one of the finest sports schools in the country. After playing the sport for a few years, he became a coach to train other aspiring Judo players.

Vivek Thakur is a Judo coach by profession. He has been teaching Judo since 2019.

Vivek was born in Manipur.

Recalling the formative years of his life, Vivek says that he was raised at his parental place in Chandigarh. He was brought up by his grandparents as his father was in the army. He studied till grade nine in Chandigarh itself. Then, in 1999,  he moved to Patiala when he got admission to Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports there and pursued his remaining school and sports education there.

Vivek shares that from the beginning itself Judo was his favorite sport. He started playing Judo in 1992. He continued playing the sport till he completed his education. In 2018, he earned a Diploma in Judo. And then he became a Judo coach.

Talking about the challenges he faced in life, Vivek says, at the age of thirteen, he moved to a boarding school, and managing everything all by himself was quite challenging for him. Besides, pursuing playing Judo professionally entailed its own challenges for him.

Talking about his achievements, Vivek says that he became a national champion in Judo when he was just thirteen years old. Besides, he became the national champion in the sport for seven consecutive times.

Vivek says that there is an age to pursue any sport and make a career in that. He thinks that the ideal age to begin learning to play Judo is seven when a kid is young and can easily be taught the fundamentals of the sport. However, he also says that there is no age to pursue any sport if one wants to pursue it as a recreational activity.

Speaking of the mistakes he committed in his life, Vivek says that he quit playing Judo as a professional player at an early stage which he thinks he should not have done.

Vivek advises people never to quit, come what may, in whichever field they are aiming to make their career. He thinks that one surely achieves success if one keeps trying.

Describing his achievements, Vivek says that his students have won more than forty medals in national-level Judo competitions. Besides, three of his students have represented India internationally in Judo and have won medals.

When asked about his role models, Vivek says that many people have contributed to making him the person that he is today. However, his parents are his biggest role models for the sacrifices that they made in raising him.

To the youth, Vivek advises them to first identify their talent and then work hard to acquire mastery of it. Besides, he advises them that there is no shortcut to success in any field.

In his spare time, Vivek likes to play the guitar and sing. Besides, he likes to spend his free time with his toddlers who are his biggest stress busters too, Vivek says.