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Six-time World Champion MC Mary Kom found herself embroiled in controversy after she got selected for the upcoming women's world boxing championships without taking part in the trials.
Though Mary wasn’t available for comment, her husband K Onler Kom clarified that it was the decision of Boxing Federation of India (BFI) to give Mary an automatic qualification based on her recent performances.
Mary has already claimed two gold medals this year. First at the India Open and then at a recent tournament in Indonesia. She has been selected in the 51kg weight category, while the 23-year-old Nikhat Zareen didn’t even get an opportunity to qualify.
Zareen was slated to fight Vanlal Duati in the 51kg category and the winner would have fought Mary in the final. But such wasn’t the case. Instead, the bout was cancelled, and Mary was selected for the global event unopposed.
Zareen in her letter slammed the whole process and how she was informed on the day of the bout that it was called off.
Both Rajesh Bhandari, the chairman of selectors, and Onler asserted that the decision to exempt Mary was taken by the BFI top brass. But while Onler talked how this decision was taken a year ago, Bhandari said that the decision was taken a few days back after a request from Mary Kom's coach Chhotelal Yadav.
Meanwhile, BFI attributed Mary’s direct qualification ‘to her continuous high-level performances in the last few months.’
“ … the Selection Committee of Boxing Federation of India (BFI) after deliberations have concluded that the Manipur pugilist will be exempted from the trial and will get direct entry into the Indian squad for the World Championships to be held in Russia in October 2019,” said BFI in a statement.
When asked whether it was unfair that Zareen didn’t even get an opportunity to try her luck against a more experienced Mary in the trials, Onler explained to The Quint that since Mary had got the better of both Zareen and Duati in the recent past, her selection makes perfect sense.
Even Bhandari stressed on the fact that Mary won against Zareen recently.
Not only Mary, even Lovlina Borgohain was given a direct qualification in the 69kg category. The Asian bronze-medallist won a gold medal in Russia recently and a silver at the India Open.
At the end of the day no one can argue that Mary Kom is a legend in her own right, with six gold medals and a silver in her eight World Championships appearances but if Micheal Phelps with 28 Golds is made to qualify for the Olympics every time then why can’t our ‘Magnificent Mary’. Asian bronze-medallist Asian bronze-medallist Asian bronze-medallist
(With inputs from PTI)
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