Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam): Determination, passion and the will to succeed are probably the most important weapons in any sportspersons armoury. MC Mary Kom showed that she possesses oodles of all the three as she created history here Wednesday by winning a fifth Asian Championships gold medal.
In the final of the flyweight (48kg) category, ‘Magnificent Mary’ steamrolled past her North Korean adversary and won by a unanimous 5-0 margin. In the 57kg final which featured another Indian, Sonia Lather had to settle for silver after going down in a split verdict to China’s Yin Junhua in the final.
India thus signed off with a gold, a silver and five bronze medals at the continental showpiece.
With the gold medal Wednesday, Mary Kom kept her excellent record at this event intact, having made the final in all of her six appearances with only one ending in a silver. Mary Kom’s previous gold medals at this meet had come in 2003, 2005, 2010 and 2012.
In Hyang Mi, the 35-year-old Manipuri found her most aggressive opponent so far in the tournament but she was up for the task.
Matched quite evenly in speed and precision, Mary Kom scored for her ringcraft, which included some fine footwork to outpace Hyang Mi at crucial junctures.
The North Korean was relentless with her left hooks but the Manipuri did not allow herself to be rattled and scored on counter-attack with her combination blows.
Sonia also fought a draining bout and was at par with her rival in power, precision and pace. However, Junhua seemed more in control in counter-attacks and managed to strike some neat right straights in what was essentially a messy contest, involving quite a bit of clinching.
Mother Mary plays all roles successfully
Every medal is a story of her struggle, said the indomitable MC Mary Kom, who stated that the fifth Asian Championships gold medal ‘special’ as it came despite the many roles she has had to play outside the ring in the past one year.
“This medal is very special to me just like all other medals I have won because it has its own story of struggles. This medal I have won after doing a tremendous balancing act,” Mary Kom told this agency.
“I have been an active MP, I am attending Parliament regularly and despite that I trained hard for this championship. Since I am a government observer for boxing, I have to be present at meetings related to the running of the sport as well. I hope people realise how tough it is,” she stated.
“I have been juggling so many roles. I am a mother too, I have three sons to take care of, plus there is the running of my academy at Imphal. I am surprised at my ability to pull it off sometimes,” she added.
Admitting that at times it is hard for her to keep pace with what life throws at her, Mary Kom, however, said that throwing in the towel is not an option for her. Her next goal is to win a gold medal at next year’s CWG at Gold Coast, Australia.
Asked how she motivates herself to continue the daily grind, Mary Kom attributed it to her fitness. “I think, I am born fit. I don’t think I have any major fitness issues. I just am always ready for the next bout.
Mary Kom, however, was quick to admit that her reputation helped her win the gold this time around. “Even though, the standards have increased in my weight category, I think my previous record at the Asian Championships and five World Championship titles made my opponents nervous. They were confused, not really willing to attack,” Mary Kom asserted.
press trust of india
