Six-time world boxing champion Mary Kom has been ruled out of the 2022 Commonwealth Games after she injured herself in the first round of the 48kg trials semi-finals.
Six-time world boxing champion Mary Kom has been ruled out of the 2022 Commonwealth Games after she injured herself in the first round of the 48kg trials semi-finals.
Veteran Indian boxer MC Mary Kom’s bid to compete in the Birmingham Commonwealth Games ends here on Friday He was forced to withdraw midway from the selection trials due to a knee injury.
The six-time world champion twisted her left knee in the first few minutes of the 48kg semi-final opening round against Haryana’s Neetu.
Mary Kom will thus miss out on the quadrennial event, where she became the first Indian woman boxer to claim a gold medal in the previous edition in 2018.
“Six-time world champion Mary Kom on Friday withdrew from the ongoing Women’s Boxing Trials for the 2022 Commonwealth Games due to injury,” the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) said in a statement.
Mary Kom lost in the very first round of the bout. The 39-year-old tried to move after receiving medical help, but after a couple of punches, she struggled to maintain balance as she grabbed her left knee and appeared to be in great pain.
Manipuri was kicked out of the ring and Neetu was declared the winner through RSCI (Injury Referee Stop Competition).
The London Olympics bronze medalist, who had a heavy bandage after a fall on his left knee, was taken to a hospital for a scan.
The multiple-time Asian gold medalist last competed at the Tokyo Olympics, where she reached the pre-quarters before losing to a hard-fought.
Indian boxer Mary Kom, the highest-paid Indian boxer, had decided to miss last month’s World Championships and the now-postponed Asian Games to focus on the Commonwealth Games, to be held in Birmingham next month.
Two-time former youth world champion Neetu entered the final of the Commonwealth Games trials in the minimum weight category at the Indira Gandhi International Stadium.
The Haryana boxer, who won a gold medal at the prestigious Stradja Memorial tournament earlier this year, will now take on Manju Rani for a place in the Commonwealth Games.
Neetu, who represented India in 48kg at the World Championships, is now set to make it to the Commonwealth Games in this category.