She is synonymous with women’s boxing in India and has kept the Indian flag flying high on the global stage for almost a decade. She has won the World Championships a record five times in a row, and now MC Mary Kom has taken a huge step closer to her next goal: an Olympic medal.
Call it fate, destiny or plain luck, she made it to the London Olympics in the 51kg category despite failing to win a medal at the recently concluded World Championships, which were also the only Olympic qualifying event for the London Games.
This is the first time women’s boxing has been included in the Olympics, and her chances of qualifying suffered a huge setback when she lost in the quarter-finals of the World Championships in Qinhuangdao, China. But it was not over for her. Her fate hung by a thread, and her shot at the Olympics depended on England’s Nicola Adams’ performance in the semi-finals.
Luckily for India, Adams won her bout, and that gave Mary an Olympic quota place. It is her first, and considering her age, it might well be her last.
She has been a prime example of how adversity brings out the best in a person, and despite so many hardships, she is set to make the country proud once again on the biggest stage of them all, the Olympics.
Mary Kom’s qualification tale
Going by what she has achieved in her career, this is not the way she would have wanted to qualify for the Olympics. But Mary Kom feels that, if not great, it was good, because she has eventually made it to the Games. “In boxing one cannot keep winning, and there are days when a boxer has a bad day at work. Now that I have qualified, I will give it my best shot,” said Mary Kom.
Kom, who was chasing her sixth world title, had won four times at 46kg and once at 48kg. This was the first time she had fought at 51kg, and a place would have been guaranteed to her without any conditions had she reached the semi-finals. But she lost in the quarter-finals to Adams, and everything then depended on the English boxer. Much to the whole nation’s liking, Adams did Kom a world of good by winning her semi-final, which helped Kom clinch the second qualification spot from Asia in her weight category.
What went wrong at the championships?
Kom, who went to the World Championships in Qinhuangdao not only to seal an Olympic spot but also to win her sixth world title, was a little baffled by the European boxers she faced. “I have been facing boxers from Asia and never had much experience against European boxers. That worked against me a little. The change of weight category was also a big challenge for me. If I had fought at 48kg, I could have just walked through the tournament and won the championships,” added Kom.
Strategy for the Olympics
Now that everything is settled, she has her eyes on an Olympic medal. Kom will take about 10 days off before she starts her training regime again. She knows her weak links and is determined to work on them and prepare properly for the Olympics.
When asked what changes she needs to make to her game, she laughed and said: “I need to improve every aspect of my game. I am physically fit for the competition and now need to get my mental frame in the right shape. I never had any experience of facing European boxers, and since I will face quite a few of them at the Olympics, I will go through videos to analyse them.”
Talking about her training, she said that a foreign trip did not look to be on the cards and that she would be training with her male counterparts in Patiala. “I will be training with the boys in Patiala before the Olympics, which will help me improve further,” said the boxer from Manipur, who is supported by Olympic Gold Quest.
Expectations from London
Mary Kom knows for a fact that everyone expected her to come back with a medal from the World Championships, but she returned empty-handed. However, she is confident of winning a medal at the Olympics and said she would put her best foot forward in London.
“I could not come back with a medal from China, but I assure you all of a medal at the Olympics,” said a confident Mary.
She feels the competition at the Olympics will not be as tough as it was at the World Championships, as only a select group of boxers will take part. “The Olympics will not be that tough, as only selected boxers will fight there. At the Worlds there were close to 55 boxers. The championships were very tough because everyone was there for the qualifiers. Even the Chinese boxers at 60kg and 75kg were not able to qualify (for the Olympics),” said the five-time world champion.
Why the Olympics matter so much to her
Kom, a five-time world champion, is not well known among the masses, and she wants an Olympic medal to change that forever. “The Olympics are important to me just as they are to any other athlete. But for me it is also a way to become popular. I have won five world titles, but people still do not know me. I want to win a medal so that I can become famous. It will help me a lot in getting sponsors. It is very difficult for me to find sponsors without the fame that should have come automatically after winning so much,” said Kom, growing emotional.
Her husband, her pillar of support
Everyone needs a strong support system to achieve something great, and for Mary Kom it is her husband, Onler Kom. “Whatever I have achieved till today is because of the support my husband has given me over the years. He keeps me away from all domestic problems. Two years ago I missed the Asian Championships because of my son’s illness, and now my husband does not even tell me if my children have any sort of problem. He just wants me to concentrate on my boxing and has been a great source of motivation to me. A big thanks to him for whatever he has done for me,” said Mary.
Onler, however, begs to differ and says it is Kom’s hard work and dedication that have brought her so far in the sporting world. “I show interest in her activities only when she is interested. I see a lot of dedication in her, and her hunger to excel never dies. Whatever she is today is due to her devotion to the game and her hard work,” said a proud Onler.
By Samikshan Dutta Choudhury
Indian Sports News
