India at Tokyo Olympics - A golden chance for Mary Kom to say goodbye in style

Tokyo Olympics shall be the last time when we shall see MC Mary Kom competing in a major international tournament. The small but tough boxer from Manipur has been the pride of India. Having won the World Championship more than six times, the Manipuri boxer, also a Rajya Sabha MP, is looking for a golden goodbye.

Mary Kom: From silver at the World Championships in 2001 to a strong contender for gold in Tokyo

Born as Hmangte Chungneijang Mary Kom, the boxer has seen it all. Against all odds, she made a historic debut at the World Boxing Championships for Women in 2001. Though she had no significant experience, the young teenager, barely 19 years old, won a historic silver medal.

Long before Vijender Singh bagged a bronze medal at the 2009 World Championships, it was Mary Kom who had made India proud.

Ever since then, 'Magnificent Mary' has never looked back. The Manipuri boxer has 8 World Championship medals, 7 Asian Championships medals, and 1 Olympic bronze medal to her credit.

Mary Kom made a scintillating debut at the London Olympics in 2012, when she won a bronze medal in her very first attempt in the flyweight category. She went down fighting with local boxer Nicola Adams, who went on to become the first Olympic champion in the flyweight category.

Can Mary Kom clinch historic gold?

MC Mary Kom - A boxer capable of winning a historic Olympic gold for India

As of now, Mary Kom is well above 38. She will be one of the oldest female boxers to compete in her category at the Tokyo Olympics. As such, the question persists: Can 'Magnificent Mary' still climb the podium? Also, can Mary Kom win a historic gold medal for Indian boxing before she hangs up her boxing gloves for good?

The answer is a resounding yes. For Mary Kom, age is just a number. She was well above 36 years old when she won her first gold medal in women's boxing at the Commonwealth Games in 2018.

She was 37 years old, when she scripted history with a first medal at the World Championships in her Olympic category [flyweight]. Mary Kom defeated Turkish boxer Buse Naz Cakiroglu in the semifinals to clinch a historic bronze medal.

As of now, Mary Kom still has the knack to turn the impossible into possible. She just won a silver medal at the Asian Championships in 2021, which is nothing less than daunting in her age and circumstances.

With no established competitors standing in her way, Mary Kom has a realistic chance of clinching a historic gold medal.

What Mary Kom needs to overcome

Mary Kom doesn't need to overcome anything as of now. However, she needs to make sure that she doesn't show a laidback attitude in the dying seconds, something that has denied her some crucial medals, especially a possible gold at the London Olympics itself.

This tendency also denied her a place at the Rio Olympics, and as such, Mary Kom would not like to take such a risk again.

If Mary Kom overcomes this minor glitch, nothing on earth can stop her from creating history. She has defied every notion and has demolished many myths with her impeccable performances over the years.

As such, India would love to see her singing the national anthem at the Tokyo Olympics, with a shining gold medal around the neck.