New Delhi, Feb 5: After his sensational win over Olympic silver medallist Worapoj Pitchkoom at the Asian Olympic Qualifiers, an estatic Akhil Kumar is aiming for a medal in the Beijing Olympics later this year.

''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,'' Akhil told mediapersons here today.The 27-year-old from Haryana, who won the only gold medal for India in the bantamweight category at the Bangkok event, was grateful to coaches Gurbax Singh Sandhu, B I Fernandez and fellow puglist Jitender Kumar.

He also emphasised the role played by the federation, who had sent the boxers more than week in advance, in helping the team acclimatise to the warm conditions in Thailand.

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

Akhil Kumar is the second Indian boxer to qualify for the Beijing Olympics, the other being A L Lakra, who had achieved the target by reaching the quarterfinals of the World Championship last year.

UNI