India’s Mary Kom (51kg) stormed into the Round of 16 of women’s flyweight (48-51 kg) category event after defeating Miguelina Garcia.
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India’s Mary Kom (51kg) stormed into the Round of 16 of women’s flyweight (48-51 kg) category event after defeating Miguelina Garcia of the Dominican Republic in the round of 32 at the Kokugikan Arena. Mary defeated Miguelina 4-1 in the round of 32 match. After the first two rounds, the scoreline stood level at 19-19 and the match proved to be an exciting affair and it was evenly poised.
In the first round, Mary Kom was happy to take a step back initially as Hernandez launched a flurry of punches. Mary was dodging the punches and was using the ring well to her advantage. At one point, Hernandez let herself open as she looked to dig deep to land a jab at Mary, but the Indian capitalized by landing a right hand.
In Round 2, the start was pretty similar to the first round. Mary was happy to defend, as she waited for the right opportunity to land her punches. Deep into the round, Mary found Hernandez vulnerable to land her uppercuts and short-arm jabs. Hernandez was happy to attack but little did she know, that she was making way for Mary Kom to land her punches.
In Round 3, Mary Kom rose to the occasion. She unleashed a fury of punches on her opponent and forced her back onto the ropes. At the end, Mary went in for a few more jabs and was connecting her jabs very well.
By split decision, Mary Kom won the bout 4-1. For the first two rounds, Mary had 3 judges in her favour as opposed to Hernandez’s two. In the third round, all five judges voted for her as the boxer eventually won 4-1. She now moves on to round-16, which will take place on 29th July. She will face Colombia’s Ingrit Valencia in a high octane clash.
Before the start of the Olympics, Mary Kom told the Olympic channel that this would be her last Games. “Tokyo will be my last Olympics. Age matters here. I am 38 now, going on 39. Four (three) more years is a long time,” Mary Kom said.
For participating in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, the age limit set for boxers was initially 40. With the Games deferred by a year due to COVID-19, it was extended to 41. Having turned 38 this March, Mary Kom will be over the current limit by 2024 Paris Olympics.”Pretty sure, I won’t be allowed to even if I am willing to carry on till Paris 2024,” she said.
Mary Kom, who won a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics, said that it means a lot to her to be an Olympian and her career as a boxer would have diminished “if I didn’t compete in the Olympics.”
“It means a lot for me to be an Olympian. I have been boxing for 20 years and have participated in many international tournaments. I have been the world champion. But, I had to wait my turn to take part in the Olympics as women’s boxing wasn’t in the Games until 2012.Finally, it happened, and I am glad it did. I think the value of my career as a boxer would have diminished if I didn’t compete in the Olympics,” Mary Kom added.
