I will continue boxing till my body allows, says CWG gold medallist Mary Kom (IANS Interview)
New Delhi April 19 (IANS) After clinching her maiden Commonwealth Games medal five-time world champion M.C. Mary Kom says she took the Gold Coast Games as a challenge and has urged other athletes to "flush out" the age factor.
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 " Mary told IANS putting a lid on all talks of her retirement 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 a Rajya Sabha MP will have to compete in the Flyweight (51kg) category at the Asiad since the 48kg division is not a part of the Asian Games and the Olympics.
"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.
Mary who has been competing non-stop for the past five months starting with the Asian Championships gold in November has no plans of taking a break.
Ahead of the CWG Mary won a gold medal in the India Open in January before settling for a silver in the Strandja Memorial in Bulgaria in February.
When asked about the quality of India s coaching staff Mary was quick to pick women s High-Performance manager Raffaele Bergamasco and her personal coach Chhote Lal Yadav as a great combination.
"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 " she said.
Asked about India s bench strength in women s boxing Mary sounded positive and also credited the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) for the gradual rise of Indian boxers.
"India has a rich bench strength in women s boxing. I have seen a lot of young boxers coming up thanks to BFI s efforts of introducing new tournaments like the India Open boxing and also raising their hands in hosting international tournaments like the women s Youth World Championships " she said.
"Lovleena (Borgohain) is a very talented and promising boxer but unfortunately missed the medal (in 69kg category). But I do hope she keeps training hard and not lose focus. Medals will definitely come to her kitty one day " she added.
After returning with an impressive haul of nine medals from the CWG the Indian boxing contingent will take a break for a few days before heading to the United States for physical training while the second string side will participate in a tournament in Serbia.
Commenting on the upcoming national camp Mary said: "It s an 18-day camp a very good idea by the BFI and the coaches. In boxing it is very important to maintain fitness and strengthening."
(Tridib Baparnash can be contacted at tridib.b@ians.in)
--IANS
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