When someone asked MC Mary Kom whether she was the Mahendra Singh Dhoni of Indian boxing, getting better with age, the multiple-time world champion smiled and, after a pause, replied: “What do you think?”
What she said next is what Mary Kom is all about — an amalgamation of grit, passion and self-respect that makes her a hard-shelled fighter and an icon.
“If Dhoni is a legend in cricket, I am a legend in boxing. You see, men can continue in sport for a long time without facing too many obstacles. But think how hard it is for a woman to come back in a combat sport like boxing after having three kids and then continue winning titles,” said the boxer, who was in the city on Saturday. She was unveiled as the brand ambassador of Ankit TMT Bars.
The 36-year-old urged all women to take her as an example and fight in their respective fields, never giving up.
“I challenge all women of our country to be like me, to continue shining in their respective fields even after marriage. Don’t stop, like I have never stopped,” she said.
Speaking about her own hunger for success, Mary Kom said: “See, I have all kinds of medals… I have been the world champion six times, I also have an Olympic medal. But I haven’t yet won an Olympic gold, and that keeps me going. I am still hungry to win more titles and I want to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. That’s the challenge I have taken up now.
“There are so many obstacles, but I never give up. Who can stop me? If I can, why can’t the others? Take me as an example and keep fighting.”
At the same time, ‘Magnificent Mary’, as she is fondly called, was a tad disappointed that not many women’s boxing champions have come up in India after her. She also explained what she thought was the problem.
“From what I see, the facilities, support and infrastructure in our sport have developed a lot in the last six-seven years. From the government to the corporate world, people nowadays are more supportive to the sport than they were before. Still we are not seeing new champions. Why? Because many in the current lot lack the required focus.
“Also, today we see that winning an international medal, whatever may be the level, attracts unthinkable amounts of cash rewards. Not just the Central government, even the states give monetary rewards.
If an athlete gets so much money after winning one medal, how will that person be hungry to work harder?
“I still make it a point to train daily. And that is why I am still winning medals.”