After capturing her sixth gold medal at the World Championships, Mary Kom has now set targets on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and said that she is focussed on qualifying for the Games.
“I start now (to train in 51kg). There will be Asian Championships and the World Championships to qualify so I will give my everything to qualify,” Mary said.
The 35-year-old won a historic gold at the AIBA World Championships making her the first ever boxer to win six gold medals at the event. This was Mary’s seventh medal in the history of the tournament.
But the veteran of the sport says that she doesn’t remember which medal has been the most difficult to win. However, with experience, it has been easier for her.
“Yaad nahi aa raha hai. With experience I think it has become easier. I had power in the earlier phase of my career but now I am handling it better. I have said this before that if I keep training, I may lose but I won’t go down without a fight,” she said.
‘I’ve fought with taller, stronger girls’
Explaining her second gold medal at home, Mary said that it was a difficult to handle the pressure and opponents have become a lot sharper and stronger.
“The most difficult thing is pressure. I had said that I will try to win the sixth title. The boxers out there are very strong in my category.
“I have fought with taller and stronger girls and that has made be better. They are sharp and intelligent but I keep in mind that I am experienced”.
India won a total of four medals at the New Delhi event, matching their performance from a decade ago in 2008, where they won a similar number of medals with one gold, a silver and two bronze.
Apart from Mary, Sonia Chahal (57kg), Simranjit Kaur (64kg) and Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) were the three medallist for India.
“Winning a medal at World Championships is not easy. They are young but trying their best. I have experience but everyone wants to win. They have less experience and exposure. They may not be mentally strong. They will learn slowly,” she said.
On an emotional night where she failed to hold back her tears after the bout, Mary accepted that it was hard to control the emotions.
“I failed to control my emotions today because you see so many people in the stands. My family is here and without them, it would not have been possible,” she said.
“I have already planned that I will make a museum for my medals”.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!