SPEED KING: Akhil Khushlani is elated after his good show in the World Karting Championship-2005 in Malaysia. - Photo: K. Gajendran

HYDERABAD: Finishing fifth in a championship, is it great news?

Well, it certainly is when one competes in a sport where the winner and the loser are separated by a fraction of a second.

By finishing fifth in the Malaysian World Karting Championship recently, a 15-year-old Akhil Khushlani, a student of Hyderabad Public School, has become the first ever Indian to achieve this feat in a field, which had competitors from 43 countries. And, consider this. The difference in timing between the third, fourth and fifth place competitors was just 1.5 seconds. This speaks of his grit and determination. "It is no doubt a great feeling but it also showed the areas where I should improve," remarked Akhil.

Impressive record

With an impressive record of 31 wins in the 43 races, this rising star whose ultimate dream is to emulate Narain Karthikeyan in the much bigger and elite zone, has a natural affinity for the sport since his father Dinesh Khushlani was himself a champion driver in the past.

With Sujana Group of Industries executive director Srinivas Kalyan promising to extend sponsorship for another long stretch, Akhil can feel comfortable on the financial front and focus on his goal.

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