Assam sprinter Akshay Boro won the silver medal in the U17Boys 200m category with a timing of 22.39s, at Khelo India Youth Games inGuwahati on Tuesday. Uttar Pradesh's Vijay Kashyap won gold with a timing of22.26s.

"I hail from Chaygaon, a small town in Kamrup district,which is famous for sugarcane. I always wanted to reach a level that would seemy town get recognised for producing a world-class sprinter. I had initiallystarted off with football. But while playing, I would see fellow youngstersrunning, and then I also happened to develop an interest," Boro said.

"That is when I decided to do it full-time, and finally shifted to SAI Centre in Guwahati. I have been training for close to two years now," he added.

Boro further said "I am really happy to have won the silver medal in front of my home crowd. It's a matter of great pride for me to have been able to produce a good performance, and I hope to reach newer heights in the next few years."