Mary Kom’s great stature touched a new high when she claimed her sixth title in the World women’s boxing championships at Indira Gandhi Stadium Complex here on Saturday.
The 35-year-old saw off Hanna Okhota of Ukraine with a 5-0 margin in the 48kg final to take her first gold medal after eight years. This was her second Worlds crown on home soil and second in light flyweight. Her first four gold medals had come in pinweight.
Record-equalling feat
With six gold medals and a silver, the diminutive Mary now stands as the tallest woman boxer in the 17-year-old history of the event and equals legendary male boxer Cuban Felix Savon’s World championships record.
In a hard-fought duel between two southpaws, Mary showcased her beautiful assortment of right jabs and well-rehearsed combinations to seize the initiative.
The Ukrainian, who was prepared for the challenge following her loss to the Indian legend in Silesian Open in Poland about two months ago, employed her quick hands and tested Mary thoroughly in the second round.
Raising her game
With the competition getting more intense, Mary lifted her game and attacked in the final round. Amidst the exchange of blows, Hanna displayed some gamesmanship and invited the Indian to land more shots.
It didn’t help the youngster as Mary was declared a winner amidst deafening cheers. The Ukrainian’s gesture at the crowd was probably due to her frustration of finishing second.
The Indian could not hold back her tears as she thanked the fans for their whole-hearted support.
M.C. Mary Kom celebrates after defeating Ukraine’s Hanna Okhota in the 48kg category at the World Boxing Championship in New Delhi on November 24, 2018. Photo: Twitter/@BFI_official
Tokyo dreams
“Thank you for your love and support. I don’t have anything to give except for a gold medal to the country. I know it will be a bit difficult for me to win a gold in Tokyo as I will have to fight in 51kg. I am still dreaming about winning the gold in 2020 Olympics,” said Mary, who was adjudged the Best Boxer, wiping her tears.
However, Sonia Chahal (57kg), the other Indian in the finals, lost 4-1 to former World youth champion Ornelia Wahner of Germany and had to be satisfied with a silver medal. Sonia deserved credit for standing like a rock despite being taken to task by the German.
Overall, Indian boxers gave an improved performance as they secured four medals, including two bronze by Simranjit Kaur (64kg) and Lovlina Borgohain (69kg). In the previous edition, India had managed just one silver medal.
The results (finals):
48kg: M.C. Mary Kom (Ind) bt Hanna Okhota (Ukr) 5-0.
51kg: Chol Mi Pang (Prk) bt Zhaina Sherkerbekova (Kaz) 5-0.
54kg: Yu-Ting Lin (Tpe) bt Stoyka Petrov (Bul) 4-1.
57kg: Ornelia Wahner (Ger) bt Sonia Chahal (Ind) 4-1.
60kg: Kellie Harrington (Irl) bt Sudaporn Seesondee (Tha) 3-2
64kg: Dan Dou (Chn) bt Mariia Bova (Ukr) 5-0.
69kg: Nien-Chin Chen (Tpe) bt Hong Gu (Chn) 3-2
75kg: Li Qian (Chn) bt Nouchka Fontijn (Ned) 4-1
81kg: Lina Wang (Chn) bt Jessica Sinisterra (Col) 5-0
