In December last year, forced to miss the AIBA World Cup in Moscow due to a back injury, Vijender Singh was disappointed that he had lost an opportunity to better his Beijing Olympics bronze.

Late Wednesday night India time, he assured the country of its first-ever world boxing championships medal by entering the semi-final of the tournament in Milan. The 23-year-old beat Sergiy Derevyanchenko of Ukraine 12-4, and will meet Abbos Atoev of Uzbekistan on Friday for a shot at the final.

“I’m not celebrating now,” Vijender, who was conferred the Khel Ratna, India’s highest sporting honour last month, told The Indian Express over the phone. “Though this win (over Derevyanchenko) has assured me a medal, I am aiming only for the gold. Ab bronze ko gold mein badalna zaroori hai (It is important to convert [the Beijing] bronze into gold).”

Vijender said the first person to congratulate him had been his team mate, the Manipur flyweight M Suranjoy Singh. “Suranjoy was the first, and we talked about his gold medal in the Asian Championships. My work here is not done yet.”

Suranjoy brought India its first Asian boxing gold in 15 years in June this year, but suffered a one-point technical defeat in his opening bout in Milan.

Despite the hunger for a gold, Vijender rated Wednesday’s quarter-final victory almost at par with his Olympic medal. “Beijing gave me recognition, but a lot of people criticised my approach after the Olympics. They said I wasn’t interested in boxing any more, but this medal proves that I live only for the game.”

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