Former CWG gold-medallist, now cop Akhil Kumar raises awareness on drugs menace

"The youth trapped in drugs are not only ruining their careers. Rather, they are also dashing the expectations of the parents. Drunkenness has not benefited anyone, it only leads to downfall," he said.

New Delhi: Former Commonwealth Games gold-winning boxer Akhil Kumar, who is now an Assistant Commissioner in Jhajjar Police, counselled budding sportspersons against the menace of drug abuse in an interaction at Jhajjar's Jawaharlal Bagh Stadium.

The 43-year-old, who won the CWG gold in 2006 and is a quarterfinalist from the 2008 Beijing Olympics, interacted with over 100 athletes, including boxers on Friday.

"As an athlete and National Anti-Doping Agency panellist, I understand the menace. So, I offered them basic advice on how to steer clear. I told them that even during a routine medical check-up, they should inform the doctor that they are athletes so that they are not prescribed any banned drug," Akhil told PTI.

"The youth trapped in drugs are not only ruining their careers. Rather, they are also dashing the expectations of the parents. Drunkenness has not benefited anyone, it only leads to downfall," he added.

"By falling into drug addiction, youth are not only destroying themselves, they are also destroying family."

Akhil, who was the chief guest at the event, was accompanied by Jhajjar traffic in-charge Naresh Sandhu, who counselled the gathering about traffic dos and don'ts.

"IPS Shatrujeet Kapoor, DGP Haryana, and IPS B Satheesh Balan, Commissioner of Police, Sonepat and Jhajjar, started this awareness campaign and invited me to counsel the youngsters, which was a great opportunity,' Akhil said.

Akhil is a former Arjuna awardee and a former Asian Championships bronze-medallist.

At the peak of his prowess, he defeated the then world number on Sergey Vodopyanov in the pre-quarters of the 2008 Olympics.