Living up to the billing of a Champ Rise and rise of Mary
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: August 07, 2012 -

Congratulations are certainly in line.

Always a strong medal contender but now that she has actually landed a Bronze at the least, it is but natural that expectations should soar with everyone expecting her to go all the way and win the Gold.

Success breeds more expectations.

And perhaps no one knows this better than MC Mary Kom herself.

With five world championship under her belt with a Silver in the last Asian Games to boot, Magnificent Mary, as she has been dubbed by the boxing fraternity, has always made it known that Olympic glory would be the icing on the cake and she has already won it.

This is not to get stuck in the Bronze mentality but acknowledging her performance at the highest level and why not.

Already a mother of two and at 29, age is certainly not on her side.

This is the age and that stage in life when most pugilists would rather hang up their gloves.

Moreover she had to move up from her preferred 49 Kg category and compete in the 51 Kg as women's boxing does not have the 49 Kg category in the Olympics.

The odds were certainly stacked against her.

True to her billing as a champion, Mary Kom refused to let these factors weigh against her and only those with a rudimentary knowledge of boxing would realise what it takes to move up the weight category at the latter end of one's career.

Besting opponents with better reach and greater heights is not an easy job and taking these factors into account, Mary Kom's achievement stands out all that more.

The tag of the first person from Manipur to have won a medal at the Olympics sits pretty well on her frame.

By all accounts London 2012 Olympics has turned out to be a glorious Summer for Manipur.

If Mary Kom has added another medal to the country's three medals, a Silver and two Bronze so far, the hope of the entire Nation rests on L Devendro Singh to take India higher up on the medals table.

Expectations can inspire as well as kill.

This is what the two pugilists from Manipur should bear in mind and while they have demonstrated that they have the mental strength to cope with the pressure of expectations, they will still need that extra bit of inspiration to rise to the challenges ahead.

For Mary Kom to scale greater heights, there is the need to realise that more than the Bronze there is the Gold or the Silver to be won and for L Devendro it is right that he realises that reaching the quarter finals is but the beginning of the process of etching a name in the sports annal of the land.

It is not very often that Manipur has reasons to smile and all credit should go to not only Mary Kom and L Devendro, but also to the other three Olympians for bringing a smile on the face of the people.

Mary Kom is already a toast of the country and entering the final will only make the celebration that much sweeter and more memorable.

Keep the jabs and the punches right.

The name Magnificent Mary sits pretty well on the personality of Mary Kom.