Boxer Vijender enters semi-finals, assured of medal

Beijing: Vijender Kumar assured India of yet another medal when he entered the semi-finals of the middleweight (75kg) category on Wednesday.

Vijender defeated Ecuador's Carlos Gongora 9-4 at the Workers' Gymnasium.

In the Olympic boxing event even the losing semifinalists get a bronze medal.

Vijender maintained a dour defence which Gongora simply could not breach.

Vijender looked indefatigable and his nimble footwork stood him in good stead as the Indian tired out his opponent and connected most of his blows to run away with the game.

Once he got himself into a 3-0 lead, Vijender decided he was not going to do anything silly and started evading, with a desperate and exasperated Gongora chasing him all over.

In round three, Vijender, who has been relying so far on straight punches, unleashed a couple of vicious upper-cuts that had the intended effect and Gongora had no real chance of a comeback once Vijender stretched his lead to 7-2 with just one round to go.

"It's a dream-come-true moment for me. I was shown the door in the first round four years ago at Athens, this was my redemption," a beaming Vijender said.

"After Akhil and Jitender's defeat, there was lot of pressure on me and my coaches. But I came here today fully prepared. Anyway, I'm not stopping here and want to keep going till I land the gold," said the boxer.

Vijender said once he had taken a 3-0 lead, he knew that bout was his. "From there onwards, it was just a matter of protecting the lead. It was about defend and watch, defend and watch," he explained.

Vijender will now take on 2007 Pan American Games gold medallist Emilio Correa Dayeaux of Cuba in the semi-final on Friday.

Emilio's father Emilio Correa Vaillant was the gold medallist in the 1972 Munich Olympics in 69kg category.

With just one day in between before he meets Bayeaux in the semis, Vijender said, "I have not played him earlier and don't have much idea about him. He is a formidable boxer and I'm going to watch his recording tomorrow, so that I'm not caught unprepared."

(With inputs from PTI)