Indian boxing ace and six-time world champion MC Mary Kom is ready to set forth for Italy to team up with her fellow boxers for training, and will directly fly to Tokyo next month for the Olympic Games.
The Indian boxing continent, which is destined for the Olympics, are currently stationed in the town of Assisi in Italy, for which Mary will be leaving within the next two days, along with her personal coach Chhote Lal Yadav as well as a physio.
She was currently undergoing training at the Army Sports Institute (ASI) in Pune, but has now decided to switch up her modus operandi for the upcoming grand quadriennal event scheduled to kick off from 23rd July.
“I have changed my plans. I have returned to Delhi and will leave for Italy maybe tomorrow or the day after. There are stricter quarantine restrictions on those who are travelling from India. I want to avoid them,” Mary said in an interview with PTI.
“After training so hard for so long, no point in taking such a risk as a hard quarantine can break the rhythm,” the 38-year-old added.
This year, nine pugilists from India, five men and four women have earned their berth for the Olympics. Alongside Mary (51kg), the three other women boxers are- Pooja Rani (75kg), Simranjit Kaur (60kg) and Lovlina Borgohain (69kg).
The five male boxers destined for the Olympics are – Amit Phangal (52kg), Manish Kaushik-(63kg), Vikas Krishan (69kg), Ashish Kumar (75kg) and Satish Kumar (91kg).
Tokyo will be Mary Kom’s final Olympics appearance
The 2012 London bronze medallist, Mary Kom will be leading India’s boxing hopes in Tokyo in July this year. However, this edition of the grand quadrennial event will mark her final, as the -year-old Manipuri will not be eligible to compete in the 2024 Olympic Games due to age criteria.
Tokyo will be my last Olympics. Age matters here. I am 38 now, going on 39. Four (three) more years is a long time,” Mary told the Olympic Channel in an interview back in March, “pretty sure, I won’t be allowed to even if I am willing to carry on till Paris 2024.”
Do you want to play Casino games online? Click here to find a range of online casino brands
If you like reading about MMA, make sure you check out MMAIndia.com
Also, follow India’s biggest arm wrestling tournament at ProPanja.com
To bet on sports, click here