She’s Mary Kom, marvellous zyada

There is definitely something about Mary, boxer-Kom-parliamentarian par excellence. By once again bagging gold in her light flyweight category at the 10th AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi, she has not only equalled the record of winning six titles, she has also lived up to national expectations. And that is no mean feat considering Hanna Okhota, the Ukrainian boxer she beat in the final, was just six years old when Kom won her first gold. Moreover, her return to her old 48 kg category necessitated an intensive reorientation, including opting out of the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta to focus on the World Championship. Of course, her comeback trail began last November when she clinched her fifth Asian Boxing Championship title in Vietnam, the first India Open this February in Delhi, and the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast in April.

Mother-of-three Kom’s 5-0 win at the age of 35 will certainly boost the fighting spirit of her 21-year-old teammate Sonia Chahal, who had to settle for silver in the 57 kg category on her World Championship debut. More importantly, multitasking Mary’s impressive 53% attendance of Parliament sessions as a Rajya Sabha member even while bagging international titles puts to shame the performance of her legendary predecessors like Sachin Tendulkar.