“I am Still Dreaming,” Says Magnificent Mary Kom After Her 6th Gold In Boxing At 35

Mary Kom has set the bar high once again by winning her 6th gold at 35, against a 22 year old opponent – a huge thing in competitive sports. She is truly Magnificent Mary!

Dear Mary Kom,

“I am still dreaming,” You thundered after creaming your opposition. And you are legendary! The way you convert those nascent dreams into resounding realities is emulate-worthy, across genders, across ages!

Well, most athletes would be planning their retirement, but not the lioness that drives this petite you. You are already eyeing acing the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. At that age, most of us would be told gently, directly, ceaselessly to take it easy and put our own dreams on hold because our homes need our feminine and maternal touch.

You are rewriting the mothballed gender rules and set the bar really high for us!

You have shattered the glass ceiling, broken the male bastion. A parliamentarian, a pan Indian inspiration.

Your soaring popularity cannot be tied down to mere stellar statistics that you have piled up in the last 17 years. Your undying passion for this sport, teaches us a thing or two, about age being just a number and that dreams are to be nurtured, pursued ardently. ‘Go for gold’ is the life-mantra that works for us too.

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You gain weight and drop weight just to fit in categories so that you can fight more duels and win more medals, more laurels. Another important lesson for us there. Weight gain is a part and parcel of our existence. Work that weight gain off. Don’t fret till cows come home or make it a weighty issue.

Believing in self totally and going all out is no longer bad or considered vulgar but is utterly aspirational now. Bless you, for setting some staid records straight!

Six world championship titles!! They say no one asked you to do so, to walk on this tough road but you are one stubborn lady, who wouldn’t take a ‘No’. Just imagine, you won your first bout when there was no Facebook or Gmail or the iPhone and are still going strong.

You have boxed yourself to immortality in the Bouting history. How easily have you surmounted the pressure of expectations?

True, There can’t be another Mary. You are the Magnificent Mary.

You have given us much to mull.

Thank you.

A middle-aged-mother

A version of this was first published here.

Image source: YouTube

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