Five most memorable moments of Mary Kom’s career so far
Tokyo Olympics 2020 will be MC Mary Kom’s final appearance in the quadrennial event. The ace boxer, in an interview to the Olympic channel, had said,
“Tokyo will be my last Olympics, age matters here. I am 38 now, going on 39…Pretty sure I won’t be allowed to, even if I am willing to carry on till Paris 2024.”
As an extraordinary career comes to an end, with a possible chance of a gold medal in Tokyo, it feels apt to look back at the five most memorable moments of Mary Kom’s career so far.
5. Mary Kom's Silver at 2001 World Boxing Championships
Women’s World Boxing Championship was introduced in 2001. Mary Kom was only 18 then. Mary Kom had participated in the 48 kg category. The puglist had been flawless and made her way to the final where she faced Turkey’s Hülya Şahin.
Inexperience showed in Mary’s game as she settled for silver. But in the process, Mary had become the first Indian woman to clinch a medal at the boxing championships. Ever since that win, Mary has won a medal in each of the eight editions so far.
4. Gold at 2002 World Boxing Championships
Mary learnt her lessons quickly from the loss against Hülya Şahin. And in a year’s time, she defeated North Korea’s Jang Song-ae in the final of the World Championships to win her first ever gold medal. Kom continued her domination at World Championships and won gold medals in the 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2018 editions of the competition.
3. Bronze at 2012 Olympics
Thus far Mary Kom is the only Indian female boxer to win a medal at the Olympics. Mary won a bronze medal and scripted history at the 2012 London Olympics in the 51 kg category when she defeated Britain’s Nicola Adams.
Also read: India at Tokyo Olympics - A golden chance for Mary Kom to say goodbye in style
2. Gold at 2018 World Boxing Championships
In the 2018 World Boxing Championship final, Mary Kom thrashed Ukraine’s Hanna Okhota to clinch gold. The Indian boxer overpowered Okhota by a 5-0 margin in the 48kg final. The win was Mary Kom's first gold in eight years.
With the medal she became the first woman to win six world titles. No Indian has even come close to achieving this feat. The win also took Mary Kom level with legendary male boxer Cuban Felix Savon's world championship record.
1. Bronze at 2019 World Boxing Championships
Mary was slightly off-color at the 2019 World Boxing Championships, where she was only able to clinch a bronze. But with the medal, Mary became one of the all-time greats of the sport. She became the first boxer, male or female, to win eight medals in the competition.
Also read: Indian boxer Mary Kom heads into Tokyo Olympics as potential medalist