MC Mary Kom enters semi-final of Women’s World Boxing Championship, assures India of silver

MC Mary Kom continued her great form in the Women’s World Boxing Championship by beating Kim Hyang Mi of North Korea 5-0 in the semi-final of the 48 kg light flyweight category in New Delhi on Wednesday to keep her hopes of a sixth gold medal alive. She will now face Ukraine’s Hanna Okhota. Mary Kom had secured the gold medal the last time it was held in New Delhi in 2006 and she now has a chance to shatter history and become the all-time leading gold medal winner in the World Boxing Championship. She is currently tied with five gold medals with Ireland’s Katie Taylor.

Speaking after the victory, Mary Kom said it was a dream to win gold medals on a regular basis. “I was alert this time. Every boxer learns something, whether they win or they lose. I had to improve my defence and attack,” Mary Kom said.

The Women’s World Championship is a special tournament for Mary Kom. Ever since 2001, when the event first took place, the 35-year-old has won six medals, five of which were gold. Her tally of five individual gold medals is the joint-most by any athlete and she now has the chance to win a gold medal in the World Boxing Championship for the first time since 2010.

In the entire history of the Amateur World Boxing Championship, only one individual has won six gold medals. Felix Savon of Cuba won from 1986 to 1999 in the 91kg category and Mary Kom has the chance to level that on Saturday. In addition to the Women’s World Boxing Championship, Mary Kom is the only Indian boxer to win gold medals in both Asian and Commonwealth Games. However, in the 2012 London Olympics, she won bronze that too in dramatic circumstances.

However, there was disappointment for India in the 64kg welterweight competition as Lovlina Borgohain lost 0-4 to Chen Nien-Chin of Chinese Taipei