India boxer Mary Kom will not be defending her Asian Games gold medal at Jakarta this year, claims a Times of India report. After securing gold at the recently concluded Commonwealth Games, the 35-year-old wants to prepare for the World Championship later this year.
The chief coach of the women’s team, Raffaele Bergamasco, told the paper that five-time world champion in all likelihood skip the Jakarta event in August to focus on the World Championship taking place in Delhi in November.
“We believe that it will be difficult for Mary to compete in the 51kg category (there are only three categories in Asian Games boxing — 51kg, 57kg and 60kg). The competition in 51kg is quite tough with good boxers from Kazakhstan, Mongolia and South Korea. We feel that it won’t be in her best interests to go up from 48kg to 51kg at this stage. It’s important for her to remain fit and keep up her good performances in her weight category,” Bergamasco was quoted as saying.
At the 2012 Olympics Games, Mary Kom won bronze at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. She was competing in 51kg category back then. She failed to qualify for the 2016 Olympic games in Rio after she lost in second round of the World Boxing Championships. She has been, however, competing in the 48 kg category since then.
Mary is currently training at the Olympic Performance Training Centre in Assisi, Italy with other women pugilists from India who are preparing for the Asian Games.
In the past one year, Kom has won gold in Asian Championships and Commonwealth Games and is now eyeing for her sixth World title.