Mary Kom Opens 2020 Tokyo Olympic Campaign With Commanding Win
Mary Kom kicked off her Olympic campaign with a comfortable win on Sunday in Tokyo.
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Ace Indian boxer Mary Kom started off her 2020 Tokyo Olympics campaign in style when she saw off the challenge from Miguelina Hernandez Garcia in the women's flyweight category on Sunday in Japan. Mary won the bout 4-1 by split decision. She had scores of 30-27, 28-29, 29-28, 30-28 and 29-28.
The Tokyo Games is Mary's second Olympic appearance after London 2012 where she won a Bronze medal.
For Mary, the next opponent, in the round of 16, will be Rio Bronze Medalist Ingrit Valencia of Colombia.
Image:Olympics.com
The experienced Mary Kom, in red, started off patiently and was defensive in her approach to start with however Garcia was going for it which meant there was a fair few fireworks in the first round.
After the first round, three out of five judges gave 10 points to Mary Kom.
After the break, Mary managed the bout and stayed at arm’s length from Garcia, who had been on the front foot trying to land punches. The Indian’s defensive game was good yet again, clinching 10 points from the judges.
Image: The Quint
In the third round the intense contest, Mary came out all guns blazing pegging back her opponent with a few solid hits. The 38-year-old was relentless and kept the younger opponent from landing any good connections.
Mary, a six time Gold medallist at world championships, overcame her spirited opponent with the third round going her way too.
The veteran Indian boxer put in a commanding performance on her way to to the round of 16.
Mary had contracted dengue in November last year and though the fever subsided in a week, it took her two months to get back to full fitness.
She had plans to train with her personal coach Chhote Lal Yadav in Pune but decided to join the rest of the boxing squad in Italy for the camp before the Games.
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