Milkha didn’t know Mary Kom was a champion boxer

World champion says the athletic legend struck off her name from the list of Khel Ratna nominees as he hadn’t heard about her

MC Mary Kom may have been a three-time champion going into the World Championships at Ningbo City in China, but no one would have wagered on her taking gold once again. After all, she had been busy giving birth to and rearing her twin sons, a two-year hiatus not one that prepares a boxer for such a top-class competition.

But the diminutive 25-year-old from Manipur proved a widely believed theory — will power often makes up for any deficiencies in preparation. Mary’s actual dream run comprised avenging her loss in the final of the Asian Championships in September, putting it 8-3 across against Korean Ok Jong in the semifinals in China, and then powering her way to a 7-1 verdict against Romanian Steluta Duta in the final.

The fatigue of returning in the early hours of the morning may have subdued her voice a little, but the words were as precise as her punches.

“It was not as easy as it might seem. It is definitely the best of my four medals because I managed to win despite coming back after such a long lay-off. I had put in a lot of hard work during the last four months and it proved worth the effort,” said Mary, quick to thank her near and dear ones.

“But for their support, I could not have done it. I was a little disappointed after losing to Ok Jong in the final of the Asian Championships and I was also not taking well to the thought of leaving my children to go and compete,” said the champion 46 kg pugilist, who is fast becoming a household name.

Coach Anup Kumar was all praise for Mary, saying her cool mind and superior basics saw her cruise through.

“I was expecting her to finish in the medals bracket, though gold had seemed improbable. But she gave little chance to her opponents with her superb reach, speed and counter-attacks,” said Kumar.

“I think this is the best example that one can have of a comeback. Just imagine, returning to top-class boxing after two years, practicing for just four months and then producing such high class stuff! This is what dreams are made of,” he added.

Mary Kom though revealed that she was hurt about being ignored for the Khel Ratna award.

“I have won the World Championship four times on the trot. Mahendra Singh Dhoni gets a Khel Ratna for winning just one World Cup, I fail to understand why am I being ignored then. How can anybody expect an athlete to stay motivated if he or she is ignored like that?” Mary Kom said.

Mary Kom said that what hurt her the most was the fact that it was sheer ignorance about which sport she competes in that could have cost her the award. “Last year, when my name was recommended by the federation, I had been short-listed along with Dhoni but Arjuna awards selection committee chairman Milkha Singh struck off my name saying that he did not know which sport I competed in. That hurt me terribly,” she revealed.

“I want to ask him today, how many more titles do I have to win for him and for the country to believe that I deserve the honour?” she asked. “Don’t give me the award if you think I am not worthy but please don’t insult me with statements like that.”