Qualifying for Rio Olympics would be tough, winning medal tougher: Mary Kom

August 20, 2015

New Delhi, Aug 20: Five-time world boxing champion M.C. Mary Kom on Wednesday said it would be an uphill task to achieve a podium-finish at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro next year.

mary kom

Mary, who had bagged bronze in the flyweight (51kg) category at the 2012 London Olympics, said the competition at next year's edition will be tougher since the size of the draw is expected to be bigger.

"Qualifying for the Rio Games would be tough and winning a medal would be even tougher. I am trying all I can to qualify for the Games," Mary told media persons on the sidelines of an event here.

"I am only focussed on qualifying for the Olympics right now. I will only think of a medal after I book my ticket to Rio," she added. "The only thing I can guarantee is that I will give my 100 percent."

The 32-year-old, who is currently training in Bengaluru, may go abroad in order to prepare herself for the 2016 World Championships, which is the first Olympic qualifying event scheduled to be held in February next year.

"Right now, my target is the World Championships. I will train here in India for around a month. Then I am thinking of going abroad for training. The place has not yet been decided. But it could be UK where I trained before the 2012 Olympics," she said.

The Manipur pugilist also informed that she had been laid low by a string of minor injuries recently, which prompted her to skip the recent Asian championships.

"I have had several minor injuries in the recent past. But now I am getting stronger day by day," Mary said.

Talking about the current state of affairs in Indian boxing, Mary said: "As athletes, our job is to win medals for the country. But looking after the administrative side of the sport is the federation's job. If they fail to do their job then it may also affect the performance of the boxers."

"Indian boxing is like a family. If those at the helm of the sport do not take the right decisions, the entire family will be affected," she observed.

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News Network
April 7,2020

London, Apr 7: Bowling coach Waqar Younis feels that it was the absence of pacers Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Amir which saw Pakistan getting whitewashed during Australia tour last year.

Amir and Riaz had quit the red-ball format ahead of the matches against Australia in 2019.

"Just before the Australia series, they ditched us and we had the only choice to pick youngsters.

We were the new management and decided to go on with taking in the younger lot and groom them. ESPNcricinfo quoted Younis as saying.

Pakistan was not able to win a single match in Australia as they got defeated both in T20Is and Test series.

"It's not like we have lost a lot, but yes they left us at the wrong time. But anyway, we don't have any grudge against them," Younis added.

"We cannot control players' choice on what they want to play, but then there should be a mechanism so we all are on board. "It's not like I am saying we could have won in Australia but we could have done better than what we have done," he opined.

Amir gave up the red ball format in July in order to manage his workload and extend his white-ball career for Pakistan as well as in T20 leagues around the world, while Riaz took an "indefinite break" from Test cricket in September last year.

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Agencies
January 23,2020

Aurangabad, Jan 23: An FIR has been registered against three people including former cricketer Mohammed Azharuddin for allegedly duping a travel agent, Mohammad Shadab, of more than Rs 20 lakh.

However, Mohammad Azharuddin has refuted allegations and said: "I strongly rubbish the false FIR filed against me in Aurangabad. I am consulting my legal team and would be taking action as necessary."

Azharuddin's personal assistant Mujeeb lives in Augurangabad and has good relations with the travel agency of Shadab.

The travel agent alleged that Mujeeb asked him to book some flight tickets but did not pay the amount.

The police have booked the three under Section 406, 420 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code.

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News Network
June 13,2020

Mumbai, Jun 13: Vasant Raiji, who was India's oldest first-class cricketer at 100, died in Mumbai in the wee hours of Saturday.

Raiji was 100 years old and is survived by his wife and two daughters.

"He (Raiji) passed away at 2.20 am in his sleep at his residence in Walkeshwar in South Mumbai due to old-age," his son-in-law Sudarshan Nanavati told PTI.

Raiji, a right-handed batsman, played nine first-class matches in the 1940s, scoring 277 runs with 68 being his highest score.

He made his debut for a Cricket Club of India team that played Central Provinces and Berar in Nagpur in 1939.

His Mumbai debut happened in 1941 when the team played Western India under the leadership of Vijay Merchant.

Raiji, also a cricket historian and chartered accountant, was 13 when India played its first Test match at the Bombay Gymkhana in South Mumbai.

Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar and former Australian skipper Steve Waugh had paid a courtesy visit to Raiji at his residence in January when he had turned 100.

It has been learnt that the cremation will take place at the Chandanwadi crematorium in South Mumbai on Saturday afternoon.

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