With her 'fire back', Mary Kom returns to the light flyweight category
Mary Kom has decided to drop down from the flyweight (51 kg) to the light flyweight (48 kg) category. The 33-year-old, who is now a Rajya Sabha member, has said that she feels comfortable in this weight category and has insisted that she has 'got the fire back' after missing out on the Rio Olympics.
âI have decided to move back to light flyweight because that is my original weight category. I feel the most comfortable competing in it and I donât have to punish my body to maintain this weight,â Mary Kom told PTI.
âI am feeling very positive once again and just wait and watch what I do now,â she added.
The 2012 Olympic bronze-medallist who recently had the Legends Award bestowed upon her by the AIBA, missed out on an appearance at the Rio Olympics after failing to qualify and then being denied a wild card entry by the governing body. However, Mary Kom insists that she has got the fire back in her belly.
âI have got the fire back. I have been training and I feel competitive. I felt bad when I could not make it to the Olympics, it was a heartbreak but I am over it now and back to what I do best in the ring. I think AIBA is going to include light flyweight in the Asian and Commonwealth Games and it could also make it to the Olympics, so I am keeping my fingers crossed,â she added.
Mary Komâs trainer Chhote Lal Yadav has stated that Mary Komâs training is going according to plan and that her dropping down to a lower weight category will ensure that she is a force to reckon with once again.
âThe power in her punches has increased manifold because of this decision as she no longer has to work hard to increase her weight. Light flyweight is her natural weight and that has improved her strength. She has been training hard and will be a force to reckon with,â Yadav said.
âIn fact, I can say that she is going to strike it big in this category. There are very few girls who match up to her in this division even after these many years,â he added.
