Mary Kom storms into Olympic quarters

06 August, 2012

One of the greatest hopes for an Olympic Gold medal for India, Mary Kom has moved into the quarter-finals of the competition. She will face Tunisian boxer, Maroua Rahali during her quarter-final bout.

MC MARY Kom is one of the biggest Indian hopes for a Gold medal in the ongoing London Olympics. In her first bout yesterday, against a Poland boxer, Karolina Michalczuk, she looked in good touch as she progressed into the quarter-finals of the competition, outscoring her opponent, 19–14. She would face Maroua Rahali in the quarters from Tunisia to march into the semi-finals of the competition, if she wins.The nation would be praying for her win.

The Indian pugilist did not have an easy outing against Michalczuk, as many expected to be. The first round of the bout saw both the boxers landing straight punches to get maximum points, according to Hindustan Times. The round ended with both boxers scoring three points each. It was an aggressive encounter between the two in the remaining rounds of the competition too.

Though it was the third round, which made all the difference, as she outplayed the Polish boxer. The score read 7-3 in the third round alone, after the second round score (5-4) gave her a slight edge over her rival, which she took advantage of in the third round. It was a routine exercise for the Indian to complete the match in the fourth round, as she was tied for the fourth round score, 4-4.

But, the Polish pugilist was not an easy opponent too, as she was attacking the Indian from all quarters. It was Mary Kom's experience, which played an important role in her win. There were instances when Mary Kom was floored by Michalczuk, but she came back strongly with her technical game, which gave her good scoring opportunity and eventually her win. In the finishing moments of the game, she looked a bit tired too.

Indians all around the world would be counting on Mary Kom to bring home an individual Olympic Gold medal. Not only she, but the whole nation wants her to be crowned as an Olympic champion.