Mary Kom strikes gold at Asian Championships

Nov 08, 2017, 03.11 PM IST

Mary's fifth gold

The redoubtable M C Mary Kom (48kg) notched up her fifth gold medal at the Asian Women's Boxing Championships, winning a fiercely-contested summit clash in Vietnam today.

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An unanimous 5-0 verdict

Up against North Korea's Kim Hyang Mi, the five-time world champion and Olympic bronze-medallist Indian prevailed in a unanimous 5-0 verdict to add another accolade to her already crowded cabinet.

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First medal in over a year

This is Mary Kom's first international gold medal since the 2014 Asian Games and her first medal in over a year.

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A tough competition

In Hyang Mi, the 35-year-old Mary Kom found her most aggressive opponent so far in the tournament but she was up for the task. (Representational image)

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Putting up a fierce defence

Unlike her previous bouts, in which the opening three minutes were invariably spent measuring up the rival, both the boxers were lunging at each other within seconds of the bell going off.

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Punches & powerplay

Matched quite evenly in speed and precision, Mary Kom scored for her ringcraft, which included some fine footwork to outpace Hyang Mi at crucial junctures.

The contest was made more engaging by the boxers' fast-paced exchange of punches.

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Mary's counter attack

The North Korean was relentless with her left hooks but the Manipuri did not allow herself to be rattled and scored on counter-attack with her combination blows.