Fit-again Mary Kom ready to set ring on fire

The past year has been tough for London 2012 bronze medallist MC Mary Kom.

The legendary Indian boxer began 2020 well, qualifying for her second Olympic Games in Tokyo but then the COVID-19 crisis halted the season.

Mary Kom also suffered a bout of dengue during this time, and with the recovery process taking longer than expected, she was unable to join the Indian boxing squad in a training trip to Europe late last year.

The 37-year-old Mary Kom lost some muscle and put on weight in this period and only returned to training at the national camp in January. However, she has worked hard on herself since then.

“My body feels good. The dengue wreaked havoc, I lost a lot of muscle because of it and my weight had shot up drastically. I was weighing 57-59kgs till last month,” Mary Kom, who competes in the 51kg category, told PTI in an interview.

“But all it took was 15 days of regimented training at the national camp in Bengaluru and now I am back to my usual weight of 51-52 kgs. The muscles are also in shape, so I think I am good to go.”

Mary Kom will now make her much-anticipated return to the ring at the Boxam meet in Valencia, Spain starting March 1.

It will also be the first time that Mary Kom will be travelling to a foreign country in a year and she admitted that the thought was initially scary.

“I was afraid of travelling and I will still be very cautious and concerned but then how long can you go on fearing? The cycle has to stop at some point,” said Mary Kom.

“One just has to be sensible to avoid the virus and I am trying my best to be that, wearing masks, maintaining personal hygiene like always.”

Asked about her expectations at the tournament and in Tokyo later this year, Mary Kom admitted that it won’t be easy.

“I would again say what I always say when I am asked about expectations. I will give my best, the result, however, is not in my hands. I am in a joyful space in my life. I intend to keep it that way,” she concluded.