Mary Kom announces boxing retirement citing age limitations

She still has the hunger to compete, but has to retire due to IBA’s rules, said Mary Kom.

Six-time World Champion and 2012 London Olympics medallist Mary Kom has announced her retirement from boxing. Kom has called it quits at the age of 41 as the International Boxing Association’s (IBA) rules allow boxers to compete in elite-level competitions only till the age of 40. She, however, reiterated that she still has the hunger in her to compete at the elite level, but has to retire due to age restrictions.

“I have the hunger still but unfortunately because of the age limit it is over I cannot compete in any competition. I want to play more but I am being forced to quit (due to the age limit). I have to retire. I have achieved everything in my life,” Kom was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

The first-ever female boxer from India to clinch an Olympic medal, Mary Kom sprung to the limelight at the age of 18 when she won silver in women’s 48kg at the 2001 World Boxing Championships. She returned a year later to emerge champion in the women’s 45kg category and added five more gold medals to her accomplishments, making her only woman to win the World Championships title a record six times. Nicknamed Magnificent Mary, she is also the only boxer (male or female) to win eight medals (6 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze) at the Worlds meet.

Also Read: Top five achievements of legendary Indian boxer Mary Kom

Also Read: Five facts about boxing legend Mary Kom

Among her many such firsts also is the gold medal at the Asian Games in 2014, making her first Indian woman boxer to achieve the feat. Kom is also the first Indian female boxer to win gold at the Commonwealth Games, which she accomplished in the 2018 edition at Gold Coast.

Apart from the London Olympics bronze, 2014 Asiad gold and Gold Coast CWG gold, Mary Kom also won a bronze medal in the 2010 Asian Games edition in Guangzhou. Her other accomplishments also include five Asian Championships titles, the last of which came in 2017.

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Update

Mary Kom later released a statement denying reports about her retirement from boxing and said that she was misquoted.

“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,” said Mary. “I have gone through some media reports stating that I have announced retirement, and this is not true.”

She also clarified about the statement she had made on the previous day, which she said was at a school event.

“I was attending a school event at Dibrugarh on January 24 where I was motivating children. I said I still have hunger of achieving (laurels) 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,” she said.

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