Tokyo Olympics will be her final shot at the elusive gold medal and to realise her dream, Mary Kom is all prepared to give her best shot as he works to fine-tune her technique despite the challenges thrown by the coronavirus pandemic.
At the recent Asian Boxing Championships, the six-time world champion had to settle for silver after losing the summit clash to Nazym Kyzaibay in a thrilling contest. For the Indian, the tournament presented a good opportunity to test herself in match situations and put to use some techniques she has been working on.
“Personally, I was keen to see how I am responding in a match environment of a tournament," the 38-year-old told news agency ANI in an interview. “I have been working to perfect some techniques and increase my strength and stamina after recovering from dengue. As much as winning is important, I have also been working on fine-tuning some of the tactics all this while in training and I am happy to see them being successfully executed."
Though she lost in the gold medal match, Mary Kom is satisfied with the way she contested the bouts and realised a lot still needs to be done. “As far as this (Asian) Championships is concerned, I am happy with the way I fought, though a lot of work needs to be done. Despite being away from matches and active sparring, I could execute a lot of what I had planned with my coach," she said.
“I am happy that I could pick my seventh medal here and am grateful to everyone, including BFI, SAI and my family. I am looking forward to the Olympics now," she added.
Tokyo 2020 will be her last such event and Mary Kom knows how lives of athletes takes a turn for good should they end up winning an Olympic medal.
“Tokyo will be my last Olympics, as age definitely matters here. For athletes, time is crucial and it is not my will, it is the mandate that sets age limit of 40 for boxers, which however has been extended to 41 due to the pandemic and the event getting postponed for over a year. Olympics is every sportsperson’s dream to participate and win a medal, it changes lives and gives a great sense of pride," she said.
The 2012 London Olympics bronze medallist says love for boxing is her major driving force despite competing at the highest level for so long.
The coronavirus pandemic has helped Mary Kom become mentally stronger as she has kept a firm focus on her goals. “I have grown stronger mentally and focused on my goals keeping all necessary safety protocols in check. It will be an Olympics with a lot of firsts, and athletes will have to continue training in the bio-bubble. That is part of our life now," she said.
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