IMPHAL: At a hillside academy in the far-flung fringes of the country, one of India’s best shots at an Olympic gold medal takes a break to trade punches with students.
Mother-of-two Mary Kom, otherwise known here as ‘Magnificent Mary,’ is under all kinds of pressure while aiming to take Olympic gold.
A five-time world champion, she has spent time recently in the nonprofit academy she established to work with promising young boxers.
The scene is typical. A dozen young boxers ignore persistent drizzle to work out with the woman they call Madame Mary.
As well as being mother, wife, mentor and motivator, she includes some grueling training for herself, that have helped her fitness and technique.
Her recurring line: “I’m at my best right now and the Olympics are my biggest dream.”
It has been a long journey from her impoverished beginnings in troubled Manipur. The 29-year-old is praised on TV documentaries, on local news media and blogs for encapsulating the essence of women from her region.
Often she has to spar against male boxers, which she considers good training for London,where she’s stepping up a weight to compete because only three women’s divisions are being contested.
Kom won four of her world titles in the 46-kilogram category and one at 48kg. But she will have to contend with the top names in the 51-kilo category in London, including two-time world champion Cancan Ren of China and Nicola Adams of Britain.
“I need to improve on all aspects. I have to work out more and I have to improve mentally. I have seen a lot of videos of my rivals and analysed them a lot,” she said after a quarterfinal loss to Adams last month.
Despite that loss, she says she hasn’t been deterred by the heavier division. The Bible story of David and Goliath is something she likes to apply to her boxing.
She did not initially tell her family about her love of boxing and, when she did, her father warned her that she might get injured and it could ruin her prospects for marriage. Those fears have been unfounded, with her husband among her biggest supporters and someone she once described as her “pillar of strength.”
For someone whose aim was just to land a decent job, Mary Kom’s success has already exceeded expectations. She is a hero in her state and in the wider area. With plenty of achievements already, she now has the Olympics firmly in her sights (AP)