Mary Kom: ‘The secret to my success is my fitness’
Magnificent Mary, who claimed gold on CWG debut, will compete in the 2020 Olympics if she feels “super fit”.
Published : Apr 14, 2018 14:26 IST
Almost every medal that is there to be taken is in her kitty but MC Mary Kom says she still trains like a maniac, the latest result of the regimen being a gold on debut at the Commonwealth Games (CWG) here on Saturday.
The 35-year-old and a mother-of-three, who has five world titles and an Olympic bronze medal, is seen as a sporting icon not just in India but also in other countries.
Crowned Asian champion just months ago, Mary added the light flyweight (48kg) Commonwealth crown to her tally.
READ: Mary Kom claims gold on CWG debut
“The secret to my success is my fitness and I am very quick. I plan well before bouts. I am lucky that I can catch my opponents within seconds. I am able to read them very quickly,” Mary said at the end of her CWG campaign.
“I don’t have injuries, all I have is minor issues like cramps sometime,” she added.
And the secret to her fitness levels and to an extent her calm demeanour in the ring is a training regimen that she refuses to let go even one day.
“When I decide something with my head and heart, then even my husband cannot stop me. He sometimes tells me to take it easy after competition but I can’t help it,” she said.
ALSO READ: Neeraj Chopra hits gold with javelin
“I have to train to keep myself calm. It’s a a strong urge, it’s a habit and training makes me happy. When I don’t train I feel sick sometimes,” she added.
But despite the high fitness levels, she wouldn’t commit on whether the outlandish possibility of a 2020 Olympic appearance is on her mind.
“2020 is difficult to say, but I will try my best. 48kg is not there and I will have to put on weight to be in the 51kg category which is never easy. If I am super fit till 2020, I will compete but if I am not fit I will not,” said the accomplished boxer.
Speaking of her 22-year-old opponent Kristina O’Hara, who works as a carer in a nursing home, Mary said she has sparred with her in the past.
“I had a friendly match with her. I have sparred with her so I knew her game plan well. I told myself that it is easy but I had to be prepared for everything,” she said.
Elated at being India’s first woman boxer to claim a CWG gold, Mary said scripting history makes her happy.
“I have won everything and all of my medals are very important. Do I need to say more? Which other boxer can claim that, now I would not be scared of anyone. I am very happy that I created history. I have got everything,” she said.
“I still think about Olympics gold but other than that I have got everything. Even in Olympics, I do have a medal. I haven’t left out anything,” she signed off.