<p>Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom has revelled in defying norms all her life. Not the one ever to be content with the servings on her plate, she has sought thrill and purpose in pursuing the commands of her heart.<br /><br /></p>.<p>An Olympic medal is a throbbing dream for Mary Kom, who hopes that women’s boxing, someday, will be taken as seriously as men’s.<br /><br />For that to happen, the 29-year-old feels boxers from her gender will have to give their best in London, where women’s boxing is being introduced in the Olympics.<br /><br />“How we perform at London will set the standard for the next Olympics. It will encourage a lot of young girls to take up the sport. Upcoming boxers will get the exposure. We have always had problems getting the sponsors but I believe Olympics can change that. Hopefully, there will be more weight categories the next time,” Mary Kom told Deccan Herald.<br /><br />“The standard of women’s boxing has improved in the last two-three years and competition has got tougher. The AIBA, too, has been very supportive. I really hope that Olympics will bring the change.”<br /><br />The scene at home is changing too, albeit slowly. She recalled the pressure to prove her capability to win at every step. She takes immense pride from her five-time World Championship victories which gave her the title of ‘Magnificent Mary.’<br /><br />“I was an athlete to begin with but when I took to boxing, people laughed and passed comments. I never bothered and went on to win the World Championship. I had won two titles when I became a mother (of twins) and people again started doubting if I would ever win. But I focused on my training. Thanks to support from my family and my husband, I proved the critics wrong,” she said.<br /><br />“Till a few years ago, I was on my own. Today I have got tremendous backing from the government, IABF and Olympic Gold Quest. My main dream is to win a medal in Olympics. Some people will say a lot of things even today but I won’t say anything till the Olympics is over. Medal or no medal, I will give my all, my best.”<br /><br />Her qualification process to London was not without stumbling blocks. She nearly missed the mark following a quarterfinal loss to world number two Nicola Adams of England. But Nicola went on to win the gold and as a losing quarterfinalist to the medal winner, Mary made the cut after a day’s anxious wait. <br /><br />She now finds herself on the threshold of history, being the only Indian women boxer to qualify for the Olympics.<br /><br />“It is sad the other women boxers could not qualify. My own qualification was undecided and I never wanted to qualify like that. But it is behind me now. For Olympics, I had to change my weight category from 48 kg to 51 kg and it was very hard. It takes you a bit of time to know your opponents and their styles. Also, boxing is a knockout game and one bout can change everything. But I really want to win and I am confident.”<br /><br />Her pursuit of Olympic glory is giving her the drive to pursue an intense training programme in Pune after which she will head to Liverpool on July 20 to train with her trainer Charles Atkinson.<br /><br />“I am training very hard, including improving my mental toughness. I have been sparring with boys and it has helped me improve my stamina and power. My strength is my punching and ability to adapt. I have improved a lot since World Championship. You cannot underestimate anyone in Olympics but I am ready to fight. ”<br /><br />All this while, prayer has been Mary’s biggest strength. “I pray every day and that is what will be my strength in the Olympics. Whatever I do, I always pray to be strong and give my best. “ <br /> Knowing her, we know she will.</p>
<p>Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom has revelled in defying norms all her life. Not the one ever to be content with the servings on her plate, she has sought thrill and purpose in pursuing the commands of her heart.<br /><br /></p>.<p>An Olympic medal is a throbbing dream for Mary Kom, who hopes that women’s boxing, someday, will be taken as seriously as men’s.<br /><br />For that to happen, the 29-year-old feels boxers from her gender will have to give their best in London, where women’s boxing is being introduced in the Olympics.<br /><br />“How we perform at London will set the standard for the next Olympics. It will encourage a lot of young girls to take up the sport. Upcoming boxers will get the exposure. We have always had problems getting the sponsors but I believe Olympics can change that. Hopefully, there will be more weight categories the next time,” Mary Kom told Deccan Herald.<br /><br />“The standard of women’s boxing has improved in the last two-three years and competition has got tougher. The AIBA, too, has been very supportive. I really hope that Olympics will bring the change.”<br /><br />The scene at home is changing too, albeit slowly. She recalled the pressure to prove her capability to win at every step. She takes immense pride from her five-time World Championship victories which gave her the title of ‘Magnificent Mary.’<br /><br />“I was an athlete to begin with but when I took to boxing, people laughed and passed comments. I never bothered and went on to win the World Championship. I had won two titles when I became a mother (of twins) and people again started doubting if I would ever win. But I focused on my training. Thanks to support from my family and my husband, I proved the critics wrong,” she said.<br /><br />“Till a few years ago, I was on my own. Today I have got tremendous backing from the government, IABF and Olympic Gold Quest. My main dream is to win a medal in Olympics. Some people will say a lot of things even today but I won’t say anything till the Olympics is over. Medal or no medal, I will give my all, my best.”<br /><br />Her qualification process to London was not without stumbling blocks. She nearly missed the mark following a quarterfinal loss to world number two Nicola Adams of England. But Nicola went on to win the gold and as a losing quarterfinalist to the medal winner, Mary made the cut after a day’s anxious wait. <br /><br />She now finds herself on the threshold of history, being the only Indian women boxer to qualify for the Olympics.<br /><br />“It is sad the other women boxers could not qualify. My own qualification was undecided and I never wanted to qualify like that. But it is behind me now. For Olympics, I had to change my weight category from 48 kg to 51 kg and it was very hard. It takes you a bit of time to know your opponents and their styles. Also, boxing is a knockout game and one bout can change everything. But I really want to win and I am confident.”<br /><br />Her pursuit of Olympic glory is giving her the drive to pursue an intense training programme in Pune after which she will head to Liverpool on July 20 to train with her trainer Charles Atkinson.<br /><br />“I am training very hard, including improving my mental toughness. I have been sparring with boys and it has helped me improve my stamina and power. My strength is my punching and ability to adapt. I have improved a lot since World Championship. You cannot underestimate anyone in Olympics but I am ready to fight. ”<br /><br />All this while, prayer has been Mary’s biggest strength. “I pray every day and that is what will be my strength in the Olympics. Whatever I do, I always pray to be strong and give my best. “ <br /> Knowing her, we know she will.</p>
