Opinion | Kommand of the ring
1 min read 11 Oct 2019, 05:05 PM ISTMary Kom defeated Rio Olympics bronze medallist Ingrit Valencia of Colombia at the Women’s World Boxing Championships on Thursday
PremiumMary Kom did not just add another feather to her cap when she defeated Rio Olympics bronze medallist Ingrit Valencia of Colombia at the Women’s World Boxing Championships on Thursday, she surpassed herself as the most successful boxer in the championship’s history.
Assuring herself her first Worlds medal at 51kg, she’s written history by becoming the first and only boxer to win eight medals in the AIBA World Boxing Championships since its inception. In that sense, the Manipuri boxer can be considered the world champion across genders. Cuban pugilist Felix Savon, the most successful in the men’s event, has seven medals. With her latest win, Kom’s on her way to the semi-finals tomorrow to face Busenaz Cakiroglu, the Turk who is the reigning European Championships and European Games gold-medallist.
She’s not just doing Indians proud on the world stage, which in itself is no mean feat, but also seems to be redefining aspirations across the country. A mother of three sons, the 36-year-old boxer is an inspiration to men and women alike. Family responsibilities, she has shown, need not get in the way of doing what she’s best at and passionate about. Social media is abuzz with congratulatory posts from all quarters over her unprecedented success. Actor Priyanka Chopra, who plays Kom in an eponymous biopic, in a congratulatory tweet said the boxer was unstoppable. We can’t agree more, and wish her the best for Saturday’s face-off as she gears up to punch her way to her seventh gold.
