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Mary enters final of world boxing
M C Mary Kom continued her chase for a historic fifth successive World Championship gold by becoming the only Indian boxer to enter the finals of the event with a thumping win in the last-four stage here.
M C Mary Kom continued her chase for a historic fifth successive World Championship gold by becoming the only Indian boxer to enter the finals of the event with a thumping win in the last-four stage here.
Mary Kom (48kg) defeated Alice Kate Aparri of Philippines 8-1 in the semifinals to assure herself of at least a silver in the sixth edition of the event.
The former Khel Ratna awardee will now face old rival Steluta Duta of Romania who defeated Kazakhstan's Nazgul Boranbayeva 10-5.
However, there was disappointment as well for India when Kavita (+81kg) settled for a bronze after losing 2-14 to Ukraine's Kateryna Kuzhel in the semifinals.
But Mary Kom, a mother-of-two from Manipur who is the only boxer to have won a medal in each edition of the World Championship, ensured that the Indian camp had something to cheer about.
"I am very happy to have come so far. I will do my best to win a gold even this time but I am not thinking too much about it because I need to focus on my game. If I fight well, I will win," the diminutive 27-year-old, who clinched a silver in the inaugural edition and hasn't settled for anything less then a gold ever since, told PTI.
In Friday’s bout, Mary Kom was slow off the blocks and was in fact down 0-1 in the first round.
"I didn’t attack much in the opening round. I needed to be patient before going for all-out attack," she said. Mary Kom had last faced Aparri way back in 2004 and had come out triumphant and she made sure that her all-win record against Filipino remained intact.
