The Indian boxing legend may have lost a split 3-2 verdict to Colombia's Ingrit Valencia at Tokyo 2020, but her never-say-die attitude helped her win hearts.
The term “legend” is thrown around a lot in the modern sporting world, but if anyone deserves it, it has to be the one and only Mary Kom. For more than two decades, the Indian boxing legend has competed in various international tournaments, winning numerous medals and bringing enormous honour to the country. There is hardly a title, the 38-year-old Indian pugilist has not won. Be it her six World Championship gold medals or the 2012 London Olympics bronze, Mary has carved out her own path to success in every tournament she has participated in. Always hungry for more, the boxer from Manipur did not seem content to rest on her laurels as she qualified for Tokyo Olympics, with the sole aim of winning another medal in the Games.
Her quest for a medal started on a positive note as Mary Kom stormed into the round of 16 of women’s flyweight (48-51 kg) category event. Mary defeated Miguelina Garcia of the Dominican Republic 4-1 to demonstrate that, even at the age of 38, she still has a lot left in her tank. Colombia’s Ingrit Valencia was next. The Indian started slowly but came back stronger as the rounds progressed. However, the Manipur boxer lost the bout to Miguelina in a split 3-2 verdict in the end. It came as a shock as Mary herself could not believe the result.
“I will play until I’m 40, this match was very unfortunate. The decision was very unfortunate. They clearly said they will not accept a single protest from the beginning. This was cleared before the bout. I thought I will come back with the medal but I don’t know what’s wrong. I can’t still believe that I’ve lost the match,” Mary Kom told India Today after the bout.
Mary Kom, you win every time a young girl picks up a pair of boxing gloves! ?
Take a bow, champ! ?#BestOfTokyo | #UnitedByEmotion | #StrongerTogether | #Tokyo2020 @MangteC pic.twitter.com/cDuqoz0h0q
— #Tokyo2020 for India (@Tokyo2020hi) July 29, 2021
To add to her misery, there is reportedly an age limit to compete at the Olympics. The current age cap is set at 40 and Mary will be 41 by the time the Games come to Paris in 2024, which would deem her ineligible. “I have been fighting 20 years. I do not know if there is an age limit (for boxing). I just heard about the news. If there is an age limit, then I can’t go. Otherwise yes! I am still strong enough. You need to have willpower, strong mentality. Training and focus also very important,” she was quoted as saying by olympics.com.
If Tokyo 2020 happens to be Mary Kom’s final Olympics, it would be a sad ending to a glittering career. Nonetheless, the boxer from Manipur left the Tokyo Games in a typical Mary style – not surrendering till the very end. Despite Valencia taking the first round 4-1, Mary never gave in and kept going till the end. The Indian finished as the aggressive of the two, but the 4-1 first round was tough to recover from.
At the end of the bout, as the referee raised Valencia’s hand, Mary produced a wide, teary smile and hugged Valencia, while patting her on the back. Despite losing the bout, the Indian boxer graciously left the ring with her head held high. With high stakes and odds stacked against her, Mary never surrendered as she went down fighting.
“Some sports have legends, some have Mary Kom.”
The legendary boxer from #IND gave it her all and then bowed out with a smile on her face ?
Some champion stuff right there! ?#Tokyo2020 | #BestOfTokyo | #Boxing | #StrongerTogether | #UnitedByEmotion @MangteC pic.twitter.com/P8hStrvU9n
— #Tokyo2020 for India (@Tokyo2020hi) July 29, 2021
Mary Kom started to set the stage on fire from a very young age. Competing as an 18-year-old at the inaugural world meet in Scranton, Pennsylvania in 2001, the promising young pugilist made it to the final of the 48kg category. Hulya Sahin of Turkey proved a step too far for her as the Indian had to settle for a silver. She came back strongly a year later to seal her maiden world title with a victory over North Korea’s Jang Song-ae in the 45kg category. Mary became the first Indian woman to win a gold at the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championship.
Thus began Mary Kom’s reign as she was unbeatable in the pinweight division. The Manipur boxer bagged World Championships crowns at 2005, 2006, 2008 and the 2010 editions. The 2008 title was incredibly significant for Mary Kom because it came after a two-year hiatus due to the birth of her twins.
Mary Kom, who moved to the light flyweight division, managed another world title in 2010 – a record fifth. After cementing her place among the greats of the game, the 2012 London Olympics beckoned the Indian pugilist. She used to compete in the 46 and 48 kg division but the lightest weight division in the Games was flyweight or 51 kg. It meant that Mary had to move up in the weight category.
The Indian boxer, nicknamed Magnificent Mary, used her footwork and experience to great effect to negate the tall and physically imposing Karolina Michalczuk of Poland in the opening bout. In the last eight, Mary Kom overcame her troubled start against Tunisia’s Maroua Rahali to seal a place in the semifinal and guarantee herself an Olympic medal. Though she fell short against home favourite Nicola Adams in the semifinal, Mary’s historic Olympic medal helped her attain the status of God in Indian boxing.
The Indian super mom managed to win one more World Championship title in 2018. Competing at home, Mary dominated Ukraine’s Hanna Okhota for her sixth world title. Mary Kom, who was inducted into the Rajya Sabha in 2016 following a nomination by the then President Pranab Mukherjee, has received a plethora of awards for her service to the sport.
She was one of the recipients of the Padma Shri in 2006 while in 2013, she was honoured with the Padma Bhushan. Meanwhile, in 2020, the Indian government conferred the Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian award, on the boxer. If Tokyo turns out to be her last Olympics, 29th July 2021, will forever be remembered as a sad day in Indian boxing. Nonetheless, her accomplishments are enormous, and no matter what she achieves, Mary Kom will always hold a special place in the hearts of Indians.