India's Kumar wins boxing bronze

Kumar is the first Indian to win a boxing medal at an Olympic Games

Indian middleweight Vijender Kumar lost his Olympic semi-final bout but picked up a bronze medal, India's first boxing medal at any Olympic Games.

Kumar lost to Cuban boxer Emilio Correa Bayeaux by five points to eight in the 75kg category in Beijing.

He was guaranteed bronze after beating Ecuador's Carlos Gongora on Wednesday.

Kumar, the son of a bus driver, hails from Bhiwani, a district in the northern Indian state of Haryana. The place is India's boxing hub.

Correa began the semi-final bout on an attacking note, but Kumar narrowed his lead to 3-4 at the end of the second round.

With the chance to fight for gold in the final at stake, Correa extended his lead through some aggressive fighting in the third round picking up three points to take a 7-3 lead.

In the fourth and the final round, Correa moved swiftly, executed a powerful left jab, and defended himself well to end with a 8-5 winning lead.

Kumar has previously won medals at the Commonwealth and Asian Games.