NEW DELHI: Veteran Indian boxer MC Mary Kom’s bid to compete at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games ended in heartbreak here on Friday as she was forced to withdraw midway from the selection due to a knee injury.

The six-time world champion twisted her left knee in the first few minutes in the opening round of the 48kg semi-final against Nitu. Mary Kom will thus miss the quadrennial event, where she had become the first Indian woman boxer to clinch a gold medal in the last edition at Gold Coast in 2018. “I was training so hard for this. This is just bad luck, I have never had a knee injury before,” a distraught Mary Kom said.

“Six-time world champion Mary Kom has withdrawn from the ongoing Women’s Boxing Trials for the 2022 Commonwealth Games due to an injury she suffered on Friday,” the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) said in a statement.

Mary Kom fell down in the very first round of the last-four bout. The 39-year-old tried to keep going after receiving medical assistance but after a couple of punches, she struggled to maintain balance and clutched her left knee. The Manipuri had to be carried out of the ring with Nitu being announced the winner via RSCI (Referee Stops Contest due to injury).

Mary Kom, whose left knee was heavily bandaged after the fall, was then taken to the hospital for scans. The multiple-time Asian gold medallist had last competed at the Tokyo Olympics.

Mary Kom, the most decorated Indian boxer, had decided to give the World Championships, which concluded last month, and the now-postponed Asian Games a miss to concentrate on the CWG that is to be held in Birmingham next month.

Are you in Chennai? Then click here to get our newspaper at your doorstep!

Visit news.dtnext.in to explore our interactive epaper!

Download the DT Next app for more exciting features!

Click here for iOS

Click here for Android