MC Mary Kom, 40, Announces Retirement From Boxing; Says She Is Doing It Due To New Age Cap Introduced By International Boxing Association
The legendary MC Mary Kom brought curtains to her remarkable career on Wednesday when she announced her retirement from boxing at the age of 40. Some of her key achievements include winning World Championship title a record six times and also finishing with an Olympic medal in 2012. Mary says she would have loved to carry on for some more years as she still has hunger to excel at the elite level of women’s boxing. But the champion athlete said that she is retiring due to a new rule introduced by International Boxing Association (IBA).
“I have the hunger still but unfortunately because of the age limit it is over I cannot compete in any competition. I want to play more but I am being forced to quit (due to the age limit). I have to retire. I have achieved everything in my life,” Mary said during an event.
Mary is the first female boxer in boxing history to have captured six world titles. The five-time Asian champion was the first female boxer from India to take home a gold medal at the 2014 Asian Games. One other top achievement of her career is the bronze medal she clinched at the 2012 London Olympics.
Mary’s journey inside the boxing ring began when she was just 18. She played at the world meet in Scranton, Russia and although she lost the 48kg final, her debut showed she was a shining future star of world boxing. She went on to become the first Indian to win a gold medal at the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships. She also won the world titles in 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2010 editions.
Not to forget, she took two long breaks due to pregnancy but returned every time with a bang. She delivered twins in 2008 and then her third child after winning the 2012 bronze in London.