The Hindu : Sport / Boxing : Akhil Kumar sets his sights on the Olympics

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Tuesday, Feb 05, 2008
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Akhil Kumar sets his sights on the Olympics

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: It has been a fairy tale return to the international arena for boxer Akhil Kumar who won not only an Olympic quota place but also the gold medal in the bantamweight class along with the ‘best boxer’ award in the Asian qualiyfing event in Bangkok.

For someone who had faced a career-threatening wrist injury with courage to get back into the ring, it was not such a big task to emerge the best in his weight category.

“I am very happy with the results. I had the confidence that I would qualify for the Olympics. The joy will be complete when I get an Olympic medal,” said Akhil who was quite busy through the day on return from Bangkok, tackling the media with humility and poise.

Coaches crucial

Akhil said he was grateful to coaches Gurbax Singh Sandhu and B.I. Fernandez, even as he emphasised the role played by the Federation, especially in sending the boxers more than week in advance, in helping the team acclimatise to the warm conditions of Thailand.

“It was important. The training in those conditions played a big part in our success,” said Akhil.

The boxer from Bhiwani who had won the gold medal in the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne did not forget his regular coach Jagdish Singh and said he used to talk to him regularly on phone to stay tuned to the intricacies of handling the challenges in the ring.

‘Fantastic effort’

Akhil was wholehearted in expressing his gratitude to the Mittal Champions Trust and its administrator Manisha Malhotra for standing by him when he was struggling to cope with his wrist injury, and for providing him the best medical support in ensuring an impressive recovery.

“It has been a fantastic effort by Akhil, both on and off the ring. But the work begins now. We will try to ensure that he gets the best preparation to have a realistic strike at a medal in the Beijing Olympics,” said Manisha, a former tennis champion who has been handling various sports disciplines with conviction, providing the caring touch to get the best out of the athletes.

Camaraderie

The camaraderie among the boxers was highlighted when Akhil mentioned how Jitender Kumar had recorded his bouts with a video camera and discussed possible improvements.

Akhil Kumar is the second Indian boxer to book an Olympic quota for the Beijing Games, the other being A.L. Lakra, who had achieved the target by reaching the quarterfinals of the World Championship last November.

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