Winning Gold at The Olympics Will Always be my Greatest Dream: Mary Kom

New Delhi : Five-time World Champion boxer M.C. Mary Kom has set her eyes on the coveted gold medal at the Olympics. Mary won the bronze medal (51 kgs) in her only appearance at the Olympics came at the London Games in 2012. And that too while moving out of her favourite 48 kg category.
Meanwhile, with the International Boxing Association (AIBA) debating over the prospect of including the 48 kilogram division at next year’s Asian Games and probably the 2020 Olympics, Mary is filled with renewed hope. “I still have not won an Olympic gold. That is my ultimate target. I am working very hard with the 2020 Olympics in mind. I am trying my best. The rest is up to God,” the Manipur icon told IANS.
“As long as I am alive, winning gold at the Olympics will always be my greatest dream. That will remain a target till the end of my career,” she added.
Mary added another title to her already overflowing trophy cabinet recently by winning gold at the Asian Women’s Boxing Championship — her fifth title at the continental level — and has now set her sights on defending her Asian Games title next year. That may prove to be a tall task for the average athlete, specially at 35, an age widely considered old and over the hill for a physically demanding sport like boxing.
Mary, however, does not let such mundane details distract her from her goal. She is determined to overcome the problem of advancing age just as she has defeated every other obstacle that has come her way since childhood. “My real strength is my will power. An athlete needs to be mentally strong. This is more so in my case as I have had to prove myself to people right from the beginning.
“I have had to face a lot of obstacles. First of all I am a girl, and as a result I had to fight initial disaproval from my family and society in general when I took up boxing. Then I got married which meant I had to adjust my schedule and lifestyle. Then I became a mother which meant more adjustment,” Mary said.