Star Indian boxer reveals how she lost two kilos in four hours to qualify and win gold at the Silesian Open boxing tournament in Poland recently
Mary Kom
Lose two kilos in four hours. Sounds like the advert of an outlandish weight-loss regimen? No, this was the practical challenge that a jet-lagged MC Mary Kom was confronted with when she landed in Poland for a just-concluded Silesian Open Boxing Tournament — the one where she picked up her third gold of the year, adding to a seemingly count-less tally. "We landed in Poland at round 3-3:30 in the morning and the general weigh-in was at around 7:30 am. I was a couple of kilograms above 48kg, the category I compete in, at that point," the five-time world champion, who is also an Olympic bronze-medallist said.
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"So, I had roughly four hours to shed that or I would have been disqualified for being over-weight at the time of general weigh-in. But I did skipping for an hour at a stretch and just like that, I was ready," said Mary Kom. "Thankfully, the flight we travelled in was nearly empty so I could sleep with my legs outstretched, ensuring that I was not stiff on landing there. Otherwise, I don't know how I would have been able to compete," she recalled.
The diminutive Manipuri was the lone senior gold-winner for India at the tournament in Poland, a testimony to her incredible longevity and also a reflection of the lack of depth in Indian women's boxing. Mention that to her and the mother-of-three offers a lopsided grin and an answer that is solely focussed on what she has done right over the nearly two decades she has been around. "I am never satisfied with how I perform, I am always looking to work out new strategies. I am obsessive but not overtly aggressive. I like to conserve in a bout. I always like to study my opponents and then dismantle them bit by bit," she said.
Mary Kom is just a couple of months shy of turning 36 but said she isn't going to slow down either at home or inside the ring. "No, the World Championships in November is not my last. I am not going anywhere till the 2020 Olympics provided my body stays fit. I know my limitations but I also know my strengths. If there is any injury then I'll see," she said.
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