Mary Kom withdraws from Asian Games, to participate in Commonwealth Games
A file image of Mary Kom.
|(Twitter)
Mary Kom, an Indian boxing legend, will not compete in the Asian Games in September 2022 or the World Championships in May 2022. Mary, on the other hand, intends to compete in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, which will take place in July and August, which could be her last competition too.
The 39-year-old announced in a statement to the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) said she made the choice to provide more opportunities for future Indian pugilists. “I would like to withdraw to give the opportunity to the younger generation to make a name for themselves on the international stage and get exposure and experience of major tournaments,” Mary Kom wrote. “I would like to focus on the preparation for the Commonwealth Games only.”
On Monday, India's boxing selection trials for all 12 women's world championship weight categories, as well as three Asian Games weight classes, begin. Trials will be held individually on March 11-14 for the remaining two Asian Games weight categories, 51kg, and 69kg. Mary Kom, a six-time world champion, is now in the 51kg division.
In June, both men and women will compete in the Commonwealth Games trials. Mary Kom is the most decorated Indian boxer in history, having won two medals at the Asian Games – bronze in 2010 and gold in 2014. She is the defending Commonwealth champion in the 48kg class.
The Indian icon, who is approaching 40, is nearing the end of her career and competed in her final Olympics in Tokyo 2020. Mary Kom, on the other hand, is still a world-class fighter, as her silver medal at the Asian Championships in 2021 shown.
Mary Kom, meantime, has withdrawn from the Asian Games 2018 in Jakarta in order to concentrate on the world championships. It opened the way for Sarjubala Devi, a fellow Manipuri boxer, to compete in the Asian Games in the women's 51kg category.
The women's world championships will take place in Istanbul, Turkey, from May 6 to 21, while the Commonwealth Games 2022 will commence on July 28 in Birmingham, United Kingdom. On September 10, the Asian Games 2022 will begin in Hangzhou, China.
