I want three golds in three years: Akash

India boxer Akash Kumar during his bronze medal-winning show at the AIBA World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, recently. Pic/PTI

Akash Kumar, 21, recently became only the seventh Indian boxer to win a medal at the AIBA World Championships when he won bronze in the 54kg category in Belgrade, Serbia.

The previous six are all big names - Amit Panghal (silver, 2019), Manish Kaushik (bronze, 2019), Gaurav Bhiduri (bronze, 2017), Shiva Thapa (bronze, 2015), Vikas Krishan (bronze, 2011), Vijender Singh (bronze, 2009). However, Akash refuses to get carried away by his achievement.

Akash Kumar on his arrival from Serbia at Mumbai airport recently

"This was not just my first World Championship, but also my first ever senior competition at the international level. So, it's only my first step in boxing. I have a long way to go and I don't think I have achieved anything yet," he tells mid-day from his home in Paluwas in Haryana's Bhiwani district.

Time constraint

"A big achievement will be the Olympic gold which I want to win at the 2024 Paris Olympics. There are only three years to go, so there is very little time left to train and compete. My target is three gold medals in three years. First, I want to be the Commonwealth champion [2022 Commonwealth Games is in Birmingham, UK, from July 28 to August 8]. Then, I want to be Asian champion [2022 Asian Games is in Hangzhou, China, from September 10 to 25]. And finally, my aim is Olympic gold," adds Akash, an army boxer, who battled personal tragedy en route to his national title last month.

His mother Santoshi Devi passed away after a prolonged lung ailment, but it was her last wish that her son should not be informed about her death as that would distract him from his boxing.
"She had been ill for the last few years, but she was getting better this year. In fact, I spoke to her to just two days before she passed away, when I was leaving from ASI [Army Sports Institute], Pune, for Bellary for the Nationals. The next day, the coaches took away our phones, so we had no contact with the outside world."

Mum's last wish

"However, when she passed away she left a message with my family members not to let the news reach me. I came to know only after I won the National title, which was many days later. They say that mothers are always right, and she was spot-on right up to her last breath because had I known she was serious, I would have left everything and returned to her. I wouldn't have been able to win the national title and without that, I wouldn't be able to compete at the World Championship," explained Akash.

Coming back to his World Championship medal, Akash said he won it on pure grit. "I went into the competition with a strong mindset. I entered every round with confidence and aggression. It's this attitude that helped me beat someone like Yoel Finol Rivas of Venezuela [2016 Rio Olympics silver medallist] in the quarter-finals. I was lacking in just one department, and that is experience, and that's what went against me in the semis [against Kazhakhstan's Mahmud Sabyrkhan]. So, in these three years, I want to pick up as much experience as I can, to ensure there are no shortcomings in Paris," he signed off.