Legendary Boxer Mary Kom has done it again. The six-time World Champion once again did the entire nation proud as she booked a berth at Tokyo Olympics 2020 after reaching the semi-final at Asian/Oceanian Olympic qualifiers at Amman, Jordan on Monday.
Mary Kom, who settled for a bronze medal at the London Olympics, will be seen in action in Tokyo. In fact, it will be only her second appearance at the quadrennial global competition, in what will be exciting and interesting.
MC Mary Kom got the better of Philippines boxer Irish Magno 5-0 (unanimous verdict) in the quarter-final of the 51kg category in Amman to book her berth in the semi-final of the Olympic qualifiers.
“CLASS ACT!?@MangteC shows the world how to win a bout as she booked her ticket for the second Olympic Games and stormed into the semis with a classic display of counter boxing against IMagno of ??. She becomes the 7⃣?? to book quota for #Tokyo2020. Congrats Champ. ?#boxing,” Boxing Federation tweeted.
It is worth mentioning here that Mary Kom clinched a dominant 5-0 victory over Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Tasmyn Benny of New Zealand in the first round of the Olympic qualifiers in Jordan on Saturday.
Mary Kom earned a ticket to the Olympic qualifiers after defeating Nikhat Zareen in the final of Women’s Boxing Olympic trials in the 51kg weight category in New Delhi in December.
Recently, MC Mary Kom took to her Twitter platform to express her gratitude to the World Olympian Association (WOA) after it let her the use of post-nominal letters ‘OLY’.
The six-time world champion had shared the image of the certificate of recognition on her Twitter account. Her caption read: “Thank you so much for the recognition” tagging World Olympian Association (WOA) and International Olympic Committee (IOC).
‘OLY’ means sportspersons’ ongoing role in the society like the Olympian, living and promoting the Olympic values.
It was in November 2017 at the 8th International Olympic Committee (IOC) International Athletes’ Forum, the World Olympian Association (WOA) had announced the OLY post-nominal letters initiative.
It should be noted that OLY initiative lets Olympians to use the OLY lettering on any official documentation after their good name which is quite similar to one who earns a degree.
Mary Kom also received 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.
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.
(With Inputs From IANS)