Russia: Six-time champion M C Mary Kom on Thursday surpassed herself as the most successful boxer in the history of the Women’s World Championship, securing an unprecedented eighth medal by advancing to the semi-finals here.
Mary Kom defeated a spirited rival in Colombia’s Valencia Victoria, fetching a unanimous 5-0 verdict to make the last-four stage.
Mary Kom, chasing her first world medal in the 51kg division, used all her experience to great advantage and started off slowly against the Rio Olympic bronze medallist. The third-seed picked up pace in the remaining two rounds and came out with accurate and timely blows to assure India of its first medal in the ongoing championships.
The judges’ points at the end stood 29-28, 30-27, 29-28, 30-27, 29-28 in Mary Kom’s favour.
“I am very happy to have secured a medal but I would be looking to make it better by reaching the finals,” the 36-year-old star said after the bout. “It was a good bout for me and I will now try to improve on this performance in the semifinals,” she added
With this, Mary Kom bettered her own record as the most successful boxer in the history of the marquee tournament
The latest achievement has only added to her ever-growing legend. Besides six world titles, Mary Kom’s incredible career is also studded with an Olympic bronze medal (2012), five Asian titles, gold medals at the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games, besides numerous other international top finishes. This year alone, she won gold medals at the India Open in Guwahati and President’s Cup in Indonesia. She is also a member of the Rajya Sabha.
