Asian Games: Five Indian debutants to watch out for at Hangzhou
Postponed by a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Asian Games has been a stepping stone for many young athletes to announce their arrival in the big league.
Six-time World Champion and Olympic bronze medalist MC Mary Kom said she was not scared to fight Nikhat Zareen after the later had alleged a selection bias in Boxing Federation of India (BFI) for the Olympic trials.
The BFI had earlier announced to give Mary Kom an automatic spot in the Olympic qualifiers, to be held in China next year, on the back of her bronze medal-winning performance in the recently-held World Championships. However, it meant that another 51 kg contender Zareen would miss her opportunity to be in the Tokyo Olympics without even a trial.
The 18-year-old boxer wrote to sports minister Kiren Rijiju and demanded his intervention to make sure she gets a fair chance. “I have been reliably informed that the rule is now being changed again to accommodate my senior Mary Kom as the Indian candidate without a trial,” wrote Zareen.
Advertisement
Reacting on the issue, Mary Kom said that she would abide by what the BFI has decided and said that it would just be a “formality” for her to beat her younger counterpart in the trials. “I have defeated her many times since SAF Games but she keeps challenging me. I mean, what is the point? It is just a formality. BFI also knows who can win a medal at Olympics,” Mary Kom was quoted as saying by PTI.
She further added, “The decision has been taken by BFI. I can’t change the rule. I can just perform. Whatever they decide, I will go with that. I’m not scared to face her, I am fine with the trials.”
The 36-year-old veteran boxer even said that “people were jealous” of her. “I am not against her. She might be good in future, let her have the experience and focus on preparation for the highest level. I have been fighting for last 20 years. To challenge is easy but to perform is difficult,” she added.
Advertisement
