DAVID PRICE insists he will prove his critics wrong once and for all by marching all the way to gold after securing Great Britain’s first boxing medal of the Beijing Games at the Workers’ Gymnasium. The 25-year-old forced opponent Jaroslav Jaksto to retire on his stool at the end of the first round claiming a leg injury after the Lithuanian had been jolted by three big right hands in the opening session. And the super-heavyweight will now face Italian reigning world champion Roberto Cammarelle on Friday as he bids to realise his dream of reaching the Olympic super-heavyweight final. Price said: "The pressure has completely lifted off me now I’ve got a medal. I know what I’m capable of. Imagine getting a gold medal after having so many people writing me off so many times." Ironically most of the criticism aimed at Price came following his defeat to Cammarelle four years ago which denied the 6ft 8ins Liverpudlian his chance of reaching the Athens Games. Since then Price has battled a succession of injuries including the broken hand which ruled him out of last November’s World Championships, where he had been due to face Cammarelle again in the semi-finals. Price added: "Four years ago I was a lot lighter and less experienced but I’ve just got to try to forget about that. He knows I would have made life hard for him at the worlds and I can tell he’s wary of me." Price admitted he had felt nervy in the opening stages with so many members of his family having flown out to Beijing to watch him in the wake of his stunning first round demolition of Russian Islam Timurziev. But three big right hands were all it took to put Jaksto on the back foot, the third of which caused the Lithuanian to stumble and seemingly sustain the leg injury which would end the contest prematurely. Price added: "It was a bit of an anti-climax the way it happened but I’m not going to complain. I think I sickened him a few times anyway. I felt a lot of pressure because I knew how important this win was. "I’m feeling so much better but there’s more to come." I’m over the moon that I’ve got into the medals not only for me but for the team. They’ve worked so hard and lots of people have been setting us up for a fall." Price is a member of Liverpool City Council’s elite sports scholarships scheme, which provides employment, financial and training support for the city’s best athletes. Council leader Warren Bradley said: "David Price’s medal success at the Olympics is testament to all the hard work he’s put in to reach the very top of his sport. I’m sure the whole city will be cheering him on during his final bouts." | 
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