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Warm welcome for World Cup medallists

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The four Indian boxers, returning with four bronze medals from the World Cup in Moscow, received a warm welcome at the Indira Gandhi International airport in the early hours of Tuesday.

Though Akhil Kumar was the cynosure of all eyes, Jitender Kumar, Dinesh Kumar and A.L. Lakra had also done their bit to project a healthy state of the sport in the country.

“We are proud of the achievement of the boys. They had trained hard and tried their best. This is a good sign for the future,” said coach Jaidev Bisht.

Understandably the most recognised face of Indian boxing, Akhil came in for a lot of praise for his courageous fight against Yankiel Leon Alarcon of Cuba when he lost on the individual scoring of the five judges, after having tied 4-4 at the end of the semifinal bout.

“Akhil sets a very good example for the rest, and motivates them all. Vijender Singh may have won the Olympic medal, but Akhil is the role model for the Indian boxers and guides them wholeheartedly. He is the Sachin Tendulkar of Indian boxing,” said Jaidev.

Only two Indian boxers had won bronze medals in the World Cup earlier. Zorem Thanga in 1990 and V. Devarajan in 1994 had the honour.

“This is a brilliant performance by the Indian boxers. Akhil was close to making the final.

“These medals are going to inspire a whole lot of youngsters. I hope they get due recognition for their achievements,” said Devarajan, who is still fighting to get recognition for his World Cup bronze, from his employer, the Railways.

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