By Mary Kom, 6-time world champion and Olympic medalist, retired, leaving the whole boxing world in shock. Her fans were full of tears and couldn’t believe it. The biggest media houses like The Times of India put the headline “Mary Kom announced retirement from boxing” on it and started doing a bulletin.Â
However, legendary boxer Mary Kom herself came in front and clarified all rumours by issuing a statement in which she said, “Dear Friends from the media, I haven’t announced retirement yet, and I have been misquoted. I will personally come in front of the media whenever I want to announce it.”
Yesterday, Mary Kom attended a school event in Dibrugarh where she was motivating children by saying, “I still have a hunger to achieve in sports, but the age limit in the Olympics doesn’t allow me to compete in any competition. I want to play more, but I am being forced to quit. I have to retire. I have achieved everything in my life.”
After this, various news agencies misquoted it and shared the news that Mary Kom announced retirement from boxing. Mary Kom, who is 41 years old, can’t compete in the Olympics anymore as per the International Boxing Association(IBA) regulations.
Age Is Just A Number For Mary
Mary Kom, the legendary female boxer inspiring young talent, proved that age is just a number for hard-working aspiring athletes like her. She won her last World Championship medal in 2019, her 8th medal. In 2021, Mary won a Bronze medal in the Asian Championship during her comeback. At the Olympic events, she represents India and brings medals home.
About Mary Kom’s Life
Born on 24 November 1982, Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom belongs to the Churachandpur district of Manipur, India. She is also a former member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha and the only woman to win the World Amateur Boxing championship six times. Mary also has 8 world champion medals to her name, which is her greatest achievement. Ranked as the world’s No. 1 female light-flyweight by IBA, Mary Kom is the only boxer to become Asian Amateur Boxing Champion 6 times, which made her among Indian boxers who created history in the ring.Â
Top Achievements By Mary Kom
The list of achievements made by Mary Kom is huge and shows her dedication and hard work. She participated in various events and won medals while inspiring young boxers like Lovlina Borgohain, who won a bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Here are the achievements of Mary Kom:
London Olympics Games 2012
- Â Bronze medal, flyweight category
World Championships
- Â Gold Medal, 2002 Antalya, Pinweight category
- Gold Medal, 2005 Podolsk, Pinweight category
- Gold Medal, 2006 New Delhi, Pinweight category
- Gold Medal, 2008 Ningbo City, Pinweight category
- Gold Medal, 2010 Bridgetown, Light flyweight category
- Gold Medal, 2018 New Delhi, Light flyweight category
- Silver Medal, 2001 Scranton, Light flyweight category
- Bronze Medal, 2019 Ulan-Ude, Flyweight category
  Asian Games
- Gold Medal, 2014 Incheon, Flyweight category
- Bronze Medal, 2010 Guangzhou, Flyweight category
Asian Championship
- Gold Medal, 2003 Hisar, Pinweight category
- Gold Medal, 2005 Kaohsiung, Pinweight category
- Gold Medal, 2010 Astana, Pinweight category
- Gold Medal, 2012 Ulaanbaatar, Flyweight category
- Gold Medal, 2007 Ho Chi Minh City, Light flyweight category
- Silver Medal, 2008 Guwahati, Pinweight category
- Silver Medal, 2021 Dubai, Flyweight category
Commonwealth Games
- Gold Medal, 2018 Gold Coast, Light flyweight category
Asian Indoor Games
- Gold Medal, 2009 Hanoi, Pinweight category
In addition, Mary Kom also won national awards for her contribution to Indian boxing. In 2013, she became the first amateur athlete to win the Padma Bhushan. The list of her national awards is as follows:
- Arjuna Award(2003)
- Padma Shri(2006)
- Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award(2009)
- Padma Bhushan(2013)
- Padma Vibhushan(2020)
The Journey of Mary Kom in Boxing Continues
The rumours of Mary Kom’s retirement were found to be false, as she clarified in a statement. Her journey in professional boxing remains magnificent, making her the greatest female boxer. In the future, we can expect Mary to participate in boxing championships and bring more medals for India. To read the latest sports news or blogs, follow SportsnScoop today!
