Another day, another achievement for India’s pride Mary Kom! The Manipuri sensation was awarded the Best Asian Female Athlete award at the ‘Awards for Asia’ ceremony organised by Asian Sportswriters Union (AIPS Asia) in Malaysia.
The AIPS Asia Congress was staged in Selangor, Malaysia and was attended by delegates from around 30 countries.
During the summit, AIPS Asia presented Asian athletes who thrived in their respective sports fields with four awards namely the Best Male and Female athletes, and Best Male and Female Teams.
Nonetheless, Mary Kom could not be present at the event. The Six-time world champion was recently selected for the forthcoming women’s world boxing championships and has been busy preparing for the event.
Mary Kom, who already bagged 2 gold medals this year, has been selected in the 51kg category.
The Chief Minister of Selangor, YAB Tuan Haji Amirudin Shari, presented the winning trophies to the winners’ representatives and Eminent sports journalist Subodh Malla Barua accepted the award on Mary Kom’s behalf.
AIPS Asia, an organization representing Asian sportswriters since 1978, was holding this award ceremony for the first time in 2019 in a bid to honour Asian athletes who have thrived at the highest level.
Mary Kom, the 36-year old flyweight boxer, is the only woman boxer to have clinched a medal in 8 World Championships, her most recent world gold medal in November 2018. She bowed out of the World Championship 2019 with a bronze medal and became the most successful boxer (male or female) in Boxing history.
It was only last month that India’s gem Mary Kom showed everyone why she is the most talented boxer in women’s boxing history. She outsmarted Australia’s April Franks 5-0 in the 23rd President’s Cup and won the gold medal in the 51kg category final in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia.
For Mary Kom, making India proud on the global stage has always been the first priority. The six-time world champion took to her social media account and expressed her happiness in the wake of a marvellous victory.
Taking to Twitter, Mary Kom wrote: “Gold medal for me and for my country at #PresidentCup Indonesia. Winning means you’re willing to go longer, work harder & give more effort than anyone else. I sincerely thanks to all my Coaches and support staffs of @BFI_official @KirenRijiju @Media_SAI.”
The Champion Boxer was also congratulated by Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju. The latter mentioned that the boxing icon was always a massive pride for India.
Following the win, scores of netizens took to their respective social media accounts to salute Mary Kom on her scintillating win
Mary Kom got hold of yellow metal at the India Open boxing tournament in May. Nonetheless, she backed out as part of a larger strategy in order to strengthen her chances of Olympic qualification.
Yes, the Olympic bronze medal winner has already set a target. She will now be aiming to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics when she takes part in the World Championships which will take place in Yekaterinburg, Russia. The 2019 World Boxing Championships for women will be organised from September 7 to 21.
Besides Mary Kom, there were other boxers who enjoyed a fair bit of success as they ended up with a podium finish. Coming to the men’s 49kg category, Neeraj Swami bagged the gold medal after getting the better of Philippines’ Macado Jr. 4-1.
In the men’s 52kg category, Ananta Prahlad Chopade came through with flying colours as he defeated Afghanistan’s Rahmani 5-0 to win the gold medal.
In the women’s category, Simranjit Kaur beat Indonesia’s Asian Games bronze medallist Hasanah Huswatun 5-0 in the final to win one more gold and added another medal in the tally for India.