Six-time world boxing champion Mary Kom has returned to the national camp and will start training from Saturday at the Inspire Institute of Sport, Bellary (Karnataka).

The camp started on December 26 and will continue till February 18.

Since the Asian Olympic qualifying event in Amman, Jordan, in March last year, Mary Kom – who secured a 51kg berth in the Tokyo Olympics – had not joined the camp.

The 37-year-old star boxer said: “It feels great to be back. This is the first time that I’ve stayed away from a camp for such a long period of time.

“I had been training at home with my personal coach (Chhote Lal) and physio but for any boxer to be at his/her peak, you have to spar along with all the physical trainings. So my focus is on getting my rhythm back.

“I got dengue while I was at home. As a result of which I couldn’t train for a while and have gained weight. So my first priority is to get back into shape. In a slow and steady manner and optimise my training fitness. Only after that I will think about tournaments.”

Altogether 52 elite men and women boxers are currently training in Bellary. Parallel camps for women and men are also taking place in Delhi and Patiala, respectively.