Veteran boxer Mary Kom outlines 'inner hunger and drive' as most important for success
Mary Kom
Indian boxer Mary Kom, the face of women boxing in the country, says inner hunger and drive are the most important things to succeed. The 41-year-old, who started her career in 2001, has won many accolades for the country in boxing including an Olympic bronze medal in 2012. The boxer also bemoaned the lack of hunger to achieve more among young athletes.
“Training is tough. Inner hunger and drive are most important. Now, facilities are better. In 2001 when I started my career, no one knew women in boxing,” Kom said on the sidelines of an event as reported by the news agency PTI.
The boxer, who has also won gold medals at AIBA World Boxing Championships, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, is although satisfied with how her career has panned out.
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“My hard work has paid off and now there are so many Mary Koms coming up. I feel so proud to be a girl, a mother, an Indian… so many are following my footsteps,” she said.
The veteran boxer, however, said that paucity of hunger in young generation to achieve more is the cause behind lack of medals in the sport for the country.
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“I am super fit, I want to achieve more and more, that hunger I have. This young generation, they (become) one (time) champion and finished, they are satisfied, (they) settle down. This is the difference. If, like me, they have that spirit and that hunger, we will have so many medals in our country,” she said.
As for her own career, Kom said that she'd still like to play for a couple of years more.
“I will fight (on), that fighting spirit only Mary Kom has… I have that something unique from other sports stars. I am 41 years (old), I cannot fight any international (amateur) competition from this year because there is that age limit. But I want to continue for one, two or three years,” added Kom.
