'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Mary Kom, a name synonymous to Indian boxing, has had an illustrious career so far. The 35-year-old pugilist, who hails from Manipur, is widely known as ‘Magnificent Mary’ owing to the laurels she has brought to the country.
A five-time World Amateur Boxing Champion and Asian Women’s Boxing Champion, Kom is the only woman boxer to secure a medal in all her World Championship appearances.
She is the only Indian woman boxer who qualified for the 2012 Olympics and eventually won a bronze medal for India in the fly-weight category.
Kom is also the first Indian woman to have won a gold medal at the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea (2014). The list of her achievements is endless.
A True Warrior
Time and again, She has shown that champions never back down and are ready to overcome all hurdles, come what may.
The mother of three boys may have taken a few gap years in her career, but her ability to come back strongly has garnered respect and sheer admiration from all.
Every time she steps inside the ring, one feels that the veteran boxer is going to hang her gloves now or this tournament is surely her last.
But when she steps out of the ring with a medal, her determination to represent the country and make us proud, inspires many.
Despite her accomplishments, one medal that is still missing in her trophy cabinet is that from the Commonwealth Games.
While she didn’t qualify for the inaugural women’s boxing competition at the 2014 CWG, this year, she is a step away from fulfilling her dreams.
The Final Hurdle
Like every sportsperson, she too would have imagined a fairy-tale ending for her career. After proving her worth in several national as well as international tournaments, it would only be fair if she’s able to secure a medal at the CWG and .boast her complete cabinet.
With only eight boxers competing in the Flyweight (45-48 Kg) category, all Mary needs to do is to get one win under her belt and she would end up winning a bronze medal at least.
Kom will be up against Scotland’s 18-year-old pugilist, Megan Gordon on April 8.
Conclusion
There’s no denying that Kom has been working really hard for this opportunity. With her growing age, realistically, this would be the first and the last time that we would see her competing at the CWG.
In order to make it count, Kom would have to use all her experience against Gordon.
Gordon would be riding high on the triumphs she has achieved in the youth tournaments and would look to leave a mark on the big stage.
Kom, on the other hand, is a seasoned campaigner and her recent success at 2017 Asian Women’s Boxing Championship would boost her morale to replicate a similar performance at the CWG.
As per the outcome of the game, It seems as her long wait would turn out to be fruitful. Mary will not only go past her opponent in the quarter-final but might even secure a gold. After all, she deserves every bit of it.
