BEIJING: Akhil Kumar could only watch haplessly from outside as his protege Jitender too faltered when it mattered the most and missed the Olympic medal by a whisker, losing his quarterfinal bout in the 51kg event here on Wednesday.
Braveheart Jitender, who entered the ring with 10 stitches on his chin necessitated by a cut he had received in his previous match, threw everything at his experienced Russian rival Georgy Balakshin but the European champion maintained his superiority throughout four rounds to win the tie 15-11.
The seasoned Russian pugilist also had a better idea of when to engage and when to evade which gave him an edge throughout against Jitender.
After a rather sedate opening round which the Russian led 2-1, both started breathing fire and unleashed flurry of punches to share 10 points but Jitender simply lost the plot in the third round.
The Indian, much like mentor Akhil, who was doing the second's job, dropped his guard and went all out with Balakshin refusing to fall for the subterfuge and managing to land an occasional blow on the Indian.
Balakshin knocked down an off-balance Akhil to race to 13-8 lead and though the Indian benefited from two penalty points after being pushed, by then the writing was clear on the wall.
"I'm sorry I could not win the medal but I tried my best," rues Jitender, blood dripping from the cut he had received in the chin.
"He got an early lead and clung on to that. I had to be aggressive to topple him, there was simply no other way out," Jitender said.
"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," he added.
Jitender said he had done his preparation well but things changed once he stepped into the ring.
"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."
Though sad to see his junior following in his footsteps and losing the quarterfinal match, Akhil said, "He is a lionhearted boxer. Even I would not have dared to enter the ring with 10 stitches on my chin.
"He is stronger and faster than me and mark my words, he has a bright future," Akhil added.
Braveheart Jitender, who entered the ring with 10 stitches on his chin necessitated by a cut he had received in his previous match, threw everything at his experienced Russian rival Georgy Balakshin but the European champion maintained his superiority throughout four rounds to win the tie 15-11.
The seasoned Russian pugilist also had a better idea of when to engage and when to evade which gave him an edge throughout against Jitender.
After a rather sedate opening round which the Russian led 2-1, both started breathing fire and unleashed flurry of punches to share 10 points but Jitender simply lost the plot in the third round.
The Indian, much like mentor Akhil, who was doing the second's job, dropped his guard and went all out with Balakshin refusing to fall for the subterfuge and managing to land an occasional blow on the Indian.
Balakshin knocked down an off-balance Akhil to race to 13-8 lead and though the Indian benefited from two penalty points after being pushed, by then the writing was clear on the wall.
"I'm sorry I could not win the medal but I tried my best," rues Jitender, blood dripping from the cut he had received in the chin.
"He got an early lead and clung on to that. I had to be aggressive to topple him, there was simply no other way out," Jitender said.
"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," he added.
Jitender said he had done his preparation well but things changed once he stepped into the ring.
"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."
Though sad to see his junior following in his footsteps and losing the quarterfinal match, Akhil said, "He is a lionhearted boxer. Even I would not have dared to enter the ring with 10 stitches on my chin.
"He is stronger and faster than me and mark my words, he has a bright future," Akhil added.