On Thursday, India’s boxing legend Mary Kom’s dream for a second Olympic medal came to an end in the pre-quarterfinals of the Tokyo Olympics. In a tough Round of 16 encounters in the Women’s Flyweight category, the London Olympics bronze medallist was defeated by Colombian third seed Ingrit Valencia through a split decision.
Mary Kom demonstrated why she is one of the most popular athletes in the country when she came up with a reply at the Kokugikan Arena that symbolized her graceful acceptance of defeat. The mother of four gave it her all in what was likely her final Olympic appearance, pushing the Rio Olympics bronze medalist to her limits.
Mary was eliminated in the Round of 16 by the slimmest of margins, losing a 3-2 decision to Colombia’s Ingrit. It was Ingrit’s first victory over the Indian fighter in three tries.
Mary didn’t get off to the ideal start in the match on Thursday, as Ingrit went on the attack right away. Mary was put on the back foot early on by the 32-year-old, who won the first round 4-1.
Mary, on the other hand, came back with a vengeance! In the second round, the 38-year-old fought smartly, landing scoring blows on the fly and swaying away from her opponent’s attempts. She won the second round with a score of 3-2. Mary appeared exhausted in the third round of a high-quality boxing match. She went for the kill, but the renowned Indian was not satisfied.
Mary Kom put the heartbreak of not qualifying for the Rio Olympics behind her and proved she wasn’t done by winning the world championship gold medal in front of her home fans in 2018. At the 2019 World Championships, she earned a bronze medal.
Mary Kom demonstrated she was ready for Tokyo after returning to play from the epidemic by earning silver at the Asian Championships on May 21.
Mary, a six-time world champion, has won everything there is to win, but only the Olympic gold medal remains unclaimed in her trophy cabinet.