MC Mary Kom's bid for a second Olympic medal in the women's flyweight pre-quarterfinals at Tokyo 2020 ended in disappointment on July 29 when she lost a close fight against Colombian Ingrit Valencia. Following her loss, the six-time world champion criticised the International Olympic Committee's Boxing Task Force for "poor judging."
Mary Kom lost a split decision to her Colombian opponent, but the six-time world champion was taken aback by the final outcome, as two judges voted in favour of Ingrit, while the other two sided with Mary Kom.
It was Ingrit's first victory over the Indian fighter in three attempts.
Even after leaving the boxing ring, the 38-year-old couldn't believe the ultimate result. In her interview with India Today, she said, "I intend to play until I am 40 years old, but this match was extremely unfortunate. The choice was really unfortunate."
"Inside the ring, I was delighted, and when I got out, I was glad because I knew I had won. I was still happy when they took me for doping. It wasn't until I saw the social media and heard it from my coach (Chhote Lal Yadav) that I realised I'd lost," she stated.
"I had previously defeated this girl twice. I couldn't believe the referee had raised her hand. I swear it hadn't occurred to me that I had lost; I was so certain," she continued.
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"Worst of all, there is no opportunity for review or objection. To be honest, I'm sure the rest of the world has seen how much they've done," she stated.
"I should have won the second round by a landslide, how did it end up being 3-2? What happened was completely unexpected,” she reasoned with herself.
"For an athlete, everything can go in a minute or a second. What has happened is unfortunate. I am disappointed with the judging," she stated.
Despite her Olympic journey coming to an end with the Tokyo edition, the veteran is in no mood to retire. Boxers over the age of 40 are currently ineligible to compete in the Games.
"After I return, I'll take a break and spend time with my family. But I'm not going anywhere. I'll keep going and try my luck if there's a competition "she concluded.