Beijing: A star was born on Wednesday with Vijender packing enough punch in the ring to assure himself of an Olympic medal, the hue of which would be determined by the outcome of his semi-final match on Friday.

The Haryana boxer shunned extravagance and clung on to his hard-earned lead to outsmart Carlos Gongora of Ecuador 9-4 and set up a semi-final clash with formidable Cuban and two-time pan American champion Emilio Correa Bayeaux.

Vijender looked indefatigable and his nimble footwork stood him in good stead as he tired out his opponent and connected most of his blows to run away with the game. The Bhiwani boxer refrained from playing to the gallery and maintained a dour defence which Gongora simply could not breach.

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. Vijender often looked cornered but he bobbed and weaved fast enough to avert most of the blows and Gongora’s frustration knew no bound.

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,” 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 just want to keep going till I land the gold,” said the boxer with a model’s look.

Vijender said once he had taken a 3-0 lead, he knew that the 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.

With just one day in between before he plays the semi-final, 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.”

Earlier, Akhil Kumar could only watch haplessly from outside as his protege Jitender, too, faltered when it mattered most.

“I was also conscious of the stitches I had on my chin and knew another blow would tear it open. That played on the back of my mind and I just could not shut that thought out,” Jitender said.

He also said he had done his preparation well.

“We had done our home work well. I had lost a close bout against him in World Championship; Akhil too had played him. So we had a plan ready. But once I entered the ring, things went haywire and I could not recover from the early deficit,” he added.

Despite the defeat, Jitender still derived some positives from the outcome and said, “I have age on my side and I learnt a lot. I’ll come back stronger in 2012 Olympics.”

(PTI)