Will continue boxing till my body allows: Mary Kom

Mary, 35, clinched the gold in Light Flyweight (48kg) category in Gold Coast, defeating Kristina O’Hara of Northern Ireland in the final. “I never spoke about retirement, these are all rumours. My focus is now solely on that elusive Olympic gold. Whether I win or not is a separate thing but I am working hard to achieve that goal,” said Mary, reiterating that she will continue boxing till her body allows her. 

“Age has never been a factor for me, lets flush this ‘age factor’ out of our minds. I will continue boxing till my body allows me,” she said. Kom conceded she had a busy schedule -- as a professional athlete, parent, gym owner and lawmaker -- but sounded a warning to her opponents against assuming she had too much on her plate. 

“I took the CWG as a challenge and emerged successful since I have always prioritised my training. With this medal, I believe I have succeeded in silencing many of my critics. I can challenge anyone when I am on top of my training,” she added. Asked about her chances in the upcoming Asian Games in Jakarta in August, the London Olympics bronze medallist conceded that the Asiad is a tougher tournament, considering the fact that she will have to compete in a higher weight category.

Mary will have to compete in the Flyweight (51kg) category at the Asiad, since the 48kg division is not a part of the Asian Games. “The Asian Games will be a bigger challenge, where I will have to compete in a higher weight category. So whatever the category is, I have to be fully ready and focussed on my training,” she said. 

When asked about the quality of India’s coaching staff, she said, “Raffaele and Chhote Lal are very good coaches. Rafael is an experienced coach, Chhote Lal is young and can learn a lot from his company. If he continues in the same way, India will not require foreign coaches.”