Mary Kom bows out of Olympics 2021, loses to Ingrit Valencia of Colombia in split decision
London bronze medalist and six-time world champion MC Mary Kom ended her Olympics 2021 campaign as she lost her round of 16 bout on Thursday. She lost to Rio 2016 bronze medalist Ingrit Valencia in the women's flyweight (48-51 kg) category.
In a tightly fought contest, Ingrit Valencia emerged victorious 3-2 via a split decision.
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Mary Kom started the bout on defense. Valencia capitalized on Kom's slow movements and landed clean punches, leaving the Indian without answers. The Indian boxer failed to impress four of the five judges and lost the round, with just one 10 against Valencia's four.
Mary Kom came back strong in the second round with a series of punches, hooks and cuts which stunned Valencia. The Colombian boxer was pushed back to defense against Kom's high-adrenaline display. The round ended in Mary Kom's favor, with three 10s against Valencia's two.
Both boxers looked tired in the third round. Though Mary Kom kept landing her punches, she ran out of steam towards the end of the round. She won three 10s against Valencia's two.
However, the Colombian boxer won the bout 3-2 on points to qualify for the quarterfinals.
Tokyo 2021 was Mary Kom's farewell Olympics. She had confirmed before the start of the Games that it would be difficult for her to continue until the Paris Olympic Games in 2024. However, the 38-year-old boxer has not officially announced her retirement as of yet.
Check out the Tokyo Olympics 2021 Medal Tally here.