Kolkata: Olympics bronze medalists MC Mary Kom and former world champion L Sarita Devi saw off other young boxers in an exhausting three days trial camp, to clinch their place in the Indian team for Asian Women’s Boxing Championship in Vietnam.
The tournament will see Mary back in her preferred 48kg category, while Sarita Devi will compete in the 64kg category in the women’s boxing event.
Mary, who is a Rajya Sabha member fought six hours during the trials and won all of them, despite facing younger opponents such as World Championships silver medalists Sarjubala Devi.
The five-time World Champion had moved up to the 51kg category in 2010 after it was included in the Asian Games as well as the Olympics. However, last year she had announced that she will schuffle between the 48kg and the 51kg categories, depending on tournaments.
The boxer who will be making her sixth appearance in the Asian Championships has already won four gold medals in the domestic tournaments this season. But, this will be the first time she would compete in the 48kg category, in the Asian Championships. She had earlier won one gold and one silver medal at the World Championships, participating in the 48kg category.
Four times Asian Championships gold medalists Sarita Devi, had jumped from the 60kg category to 64kg and will participate in the same at the Asian Championships. She had earlier tried her hand in the professional circuit but returned to amateur fold after few months.
Expectations are high on the two veteran boxers as both had missed the 2015 edition of the Championships, in which India failed to win a single gold, coming home with just one silver and five bronze medals.
Haryana’s Neeraj Goyat (51kg) who had already won a gold medal at the Nation’s Cup in Serbia earlier this year also qualified for the Championships.
World Championships’ silver-medallist Sonia Lather (57kg) also made the cut. So did Saweety Boora (81g), who won a silver medal in the previous Asian Championships. Pooja Rani (75kg) and Seema Punia (+81kg), who won a bronze medal each in the Championships prevoius edition also made the squad.
Meanwhile, India with 60 medals in total ( 19 gold, 21 silver and 20 bronze medals) are placed in the third position behind China and North Korea in the overall medal tally of the Asian Championships.
India’s Asian Championship squad: MC Mary Kom (48kg), Neeraj (51kg), Shiksha (54kg), Sonia Lather (57kg), Pavitra (60kg), L Sarita Devi (64kg), Lovelina (69kg), Pooja Rani (75kg), Saweety Boora (81kg) and Seema Punia (+81kg).