Indian sporting legend Mary Kom on Saturday became the most successful female boxer in world championships history after clinching her sixth gold medal in New Delhi.
The 35-year-old beat Ukraine’s Hanna Okhota 5-0 in the final of the 48-kg category contest in front of an electric home crowd.
Her sixth gold takes her past Ireland’s Katie Taylor, and level with the men’s record held by Cuban legend Felix Savon as the most successful pugilist ever at the world championships.
The mother of three won a silver in the inaugural women’s edition in 2001 and then went on to win gold in each of the next five championships, with her most recent coming in Bridgetown, Barbados in 2010.
Mary’s achievement was, of course, celebrated on social and traditional media. Here is how the Indian press reacted to her historic win:
The Times of India went with “MaryGold” as the headline. “A gold medal around her neck, the tricolour unfurling behind her and a packed KD Jadhav Hall standing in unison to cheer for her. If that’s what dreams are made of, MC Mary Kom would take it every night,” wrote Devadyuti Das.
“Mary Happy Returns,” was Mumbai Mirror’s headline.
“There’s a saying that the first to break through the wall always gets bloody,” wrote Shashank Nair. “Manipur’s MC Mary Kom was the first Indian woman boxer to tear down her sport’s barriers and more than a decade later, she still stands as the greatest to have ever donned the gloves from this neck of the woods.”
The Tribune went with “MaryMaking” in its headline.
“In the bouts leading up to the final of the 48kg category in the women’s World Boxing Championships, her strategy had been to wait and watch, to see what the plans of her opponents were, and hit them on the counter as and when opportunity presented itself. On Saturday, though, she dumped her tried and tested approach in favour of a much more aggressive method,” wrote Vinayak Padmadeo.
“Mother of all champions,” wrote the New Indian Express in its headline.
“The London Olympics bronze medallist seemed like she was playing in slo-mo, always miles ahead of her opponent,” wrote Anmol Gurung. “The 35-year-old was evading punches at will and stealing points when the need arose.”
“Magnificent Mary, the GOAT,” announced DNA in its headline.
“She had already earned the nickname of Magnificent Mary. On Saturday, MC Mary Kom attained the status of the greatest ever woman amateur boxer in the world,” wrote Chander Shekhar Luthra.
The Hindustan Times went with “The fists of gold”.
“It is tough to decipher the phenomenon called MC Mary Kom – a boxing superstar, mother of three, parliamentarian and an inspiration for young girls taking up the sport across the world,” wrote Avishek Roy. “Maybe her popularity goes beyond such facts; it can’t be measured by mere statistics she has piled up rigorously in 17 long years. It has to be seen to be believed.”
With inputs from AFP