In an interview with mid-day on Monday, Mary Kom, 38, spoke about her burning desire for success at the Tokyo Games (July 23-August 8) and how the pandemic had her worried sick.
Mary Kom. Pic/AFP
Despite six world championship golds and an Olympic bronze alongside a host of other medals from various international competitions, there’s something still missing in India star boxer MC Mary Kom’s trophy cabinet—the Olympic gold. And she wants that badly!
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However, the Covid-19 situation has hampered her training, given the absence of sparring partners and competitions until recently. Worse still, her sons Khupneivar, 14, Rechungvar, 14, and Prince, eight, caught the virus in April. However, things are starting to look brighter. Her sons have recovered and are at home in Delhi, while she is sweating it out in the national camp at Pune’s Army Sports Institute (ASI) ahead of the Asian Boxing Championship that gets underway in Dubai on May 24.
In an interview with mid-day on Monday, Mary Kom, 38, spoke about her burning desire for success at the Tokyo Games (July 23-August 8) and how the pandemic had her worried sick.
Edited excerpts from the interview.
On being back to training at the national camp:
I was training at home initially after the Coronavirus-caused lockdown but, for a sport like boxing you need to be in the ring and engage with sparring partners and that was missing all this while. But now after joining the camp and completing the quarantine process, I have started training hard here. The facilities at ASI are very good. In fact, even during my quarantine period last week, I was able to do my strength training as every room here has a personal gym and fitness area. There are quite a few youth boys in my weight category and sparring with them has been helpful. I’m looking forward to the Asian Championships in Dubai next week as it will be a good indicator of my preparations for the Tokyo Olympics.
Mary Kom with husband Onler, daughter Merilyn (to her left), sons Khupneivar, Rechungvar and Prince
On managing home and fitness amidst Covid-19 times:
These are unprecedented times and something no one ever expected. But it’s very important how one responds to the situation and takes decisions to keep oneself safe despite the challenges. Initially, like everyone else, my life was no different. Juggling household work and looking after the kids while maintaining my training schedules is something I had to do daily. I did it for over a year. I’m grateful to my coach, Chote Lal, my support staff, the Boxing Federation of India and the Sports Authority of India, who have all been extremely helpful throughout these testing times.
On the uncertainty surrounding the Tokyo Games:
The Olympics is the biggest tournament in the world for any athlete. And I’m sure that the [Japanese] government will decide whatever is best for the athletes and for the safety of everyone. I just want to focus on my game and my preparations for the Olympics rather than thinking about whether it will happen or no. The current pandemic is not in anyone’s control, so we can only hope that the situation permits the Olympics to be conducted safely. It is my dream to win that elusive gold medal at the Olympics.
On dealing with the negativity of Covid-19:
It is tough. The impact and the loss is something that we all are going through. Unfortunately, my three sons tested positive for the virus last month. It was an incredibly challenging time for everyone at home but thank God and Jesus that all my boys recovered and are safe at home. Personally, I’m blessed to have not been touched by the virus yet. I just got my first dose of the vaccine in Pune for which I am thankful to the ASI officials. Everyone needs to have a positive mindset, be careful and mask up. We will win this fight as we are in it together. We athletes also struggle sometimes thinking about our families and friends but then we also know that we are here for a reason. Our goal is the Olympics and we have to be focused on our training. We cannot afford to have any distractions as there are only a couple of months left for the Olympics.
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