Indian boxer Mary Kom refuted reports of her retirement, clarifying her statement from a public event on Wednesday. The 41-year-old said her age limit doesn’t allow her to compete at the Olympic Games.
Legendary Indian boxer Mary Kom said on Thursday, January 25 that she hasn’t announced retirement, refuting reports and clarifying the statement she made at a public event on Wednesday. Mary Kom said she highlighted that her age limit doesn’t allow her to participate in the Olympics.
Mary Kom was quoted as saying by a news agency that she was forced to quit the sport due to her age limit despite her desire to compete at the highest level during an event on Wednesday. However, the 41-year-old said she was “misquoted” and that she was still focusing on her fitness to keep competing.
“Dear Friends from media, I haven’t announced retirement yet and I have been misquoted. I will personally come in front of media whenever I want to announce it,” Mary Kom said in a statement.
“I have gone through some media reports stating that I have announced retirement and this is not true.
“I was attending a school in event in Dibrugarh on 24 January 2024 wherein I was motivating children and I said “I still have hunger to achieve in sports but age limit in Olympics doesn’t allow me to participate though i can carry on with my sport. I am still focusing on my fitness and whenever I will announce retirement I will inform everyone.”
AGE JUST A NUMBER FOR MARY
Mary Kom last won a world championship medal in 2019, which was her 8th and it made her the boxer with most medals at the world meet. The 41-year-old defied age as she came back in 2021 to win an Asian Championships bronze medal.
Nikhat Zareen is likely to compete in the famous weight category in the Paris Olympics as the reigning world champion has been touted as one of the favourites to win a medal.
Mary Kom’s record-breaking journey in boxing is highlighted by her extraordinary feat of winning the World Amateur Boxing Championship six times, a record that remains unmatched in the women’s category. Her first victory came in 2002, and she continued to dominate the championships in subsequent years, with her latest gold coming in 2018 in New Delhi. In addition to these six golds, she has also secured one silver and one bronze, bringing her total World Championship medal tally to eight, making her the only boxer, male or female, to achieve this remarkable distinction.