<p>New Delhi: Her future is a subject of intense speculation since that final Olympic appearance in Tokyo back in 2021 but celebrated Indian woman boxer M C Mary Kom on Thursday refuted talk of retirement even though she is on the wrong side of the international cut-off age for amateur boxers.</p><p>The 41-year-old six-time world champion, who won an Olympic bronze in the 2012 London edition, found herself at the centre of a social media storm after reportedly declaring that due to the 40-year age cap for amateur boxers, she has been forced to retire.</p>.<p>In a statement this morning, she declared that she had been misquoted and a formal announcement of retirement is still some time away.</p><p>"I haven't announced retirement yet and I have been misquoted. I will personally come in front of media whenever I want to announce it. I have gone through some media reports stating that I have announced retirement and this is not true," the Manipuri flyweight (51kg) category boxer asserted in a statement to PTI.</p><p>She then tried to give context to her earlier comment, insisting that she was merely talking about the international rules and not referring to herself specifically.</p><p>"I was attending a school in event in Dibrugarh (Assam) on 24 January 2024 wherein I was motivating children and I said 'I still have hunger of achieving in sports but age limit in Olympics doesn't allow me to participate though I can carry on with my sport'," she said.</p><p>"I am still focusing on my fitness and whenever I will announce retirement I will inform everyone. Please do correct this," she added.</p> .Boxing icon Mary Kom announces retirement citing age limitations.<p>Mary Kom has not been seen in action since her pre-quarterfinal loss in the Tokyo Olympics, which was her last appearance at the quadrennial showpiece.</p><p>She attempted to appear for the 2022 Commonwealth Games trials but had to pull out on the day of the selection bouts due to a torn ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) for which she underwent a surgery.</p><p>However, she resumed training after rehabilitation last year and insisted that she has another 3-4 competitive years left in her even though Olympics was now out of bounds for her.</p><p>Amid her gradual withdrawal, Nikhat Zareen has taken over the 51kg slot, and claimed two back-to-back world titles, the latest one coming last year.</p><p>Mary Kom, on the other hand, has been seen in several administrative roles given to her by the Indian Olympic Association.</p><p>She recently headed an IOA oversight panel which investigated the sexual harassment charges levelled by some top women wrestlers against the then wrestling federation head Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.</p><p>What has added to the intrigue surrounding her is her decision to stay away from professional boxing where there is no age bar.</p><p>She is unarguably one of the most decorated Indian sportspersons of all time with six asian titles to go alongside her half a dozen world gold medals. The world body for amateur boxing gave her the moniker 'Magnificent Mary' as a tribute to her unparalleled achievements.</p><p>The mother of four is a Khel Ratna awardee and also served as a Rajya Sabha MP.</p><p>She was bestowed with the country's second highest civilian award -- the Padma Vibhushan -- in 2020.</p>
<p>New Delhi: Her future is a subject of intense speculation since that final Olympic appearance in Tokyo back in 2021 but celebrated Indian woman boxer M C Mary Kom on Thursday refuted talk of retirement even though she is on the wrong side of the international cut-off age for amateur boxers.</p><p>The 41-year-old six-time world champion, who won an Olympic bronze in the 2012 London edition, found herself at the centre of a social media storm after reportedly declaring that due to the 40-year age cap for amateur boxers, she has been forced to retire.</p>.<p>In a statement this morning, she declared that she had been misquoted and a formal announcement of retirement is still some time away.</p><p>"I haven't announced retirement yet and I have been misquoted. I will personally come in front of media whenever I want to announce it. I have gone through some media reports stating that I have announced retirement and this is not true," the Manipuri flyweight (51kg) category boxer asserted in a statement to PTI.</p><p>She then tried to give context to her earlier comment, insisting that she was merely talking about the international rules and not referring to herself specifically.</p><p>"I was attending a school in event in Dibrugarh (Assam) on 24 January 2024 wherein I was motivating children and I said 'I still have hunger of achieving in sports but age limit in Olympics doesn't allow me to participate though I can carry on with my sport'," she said.</p><p>"I am still focusing on my fitness and whenever I will announce retirement I will inform everyone. Please do correct this," she added.</p> .Boxing icon Mary Kom announces retirement citing age limitations.<p>Mary Kom has not been seen in action since her pre-quarterfinal loss in the Tokyo Olympics, which was her last appearance at the quadrennial showpiece.</p><p>She attempted to appear for the 2022 Commonwealth Games trials but had to pull out on the day of the selection bouts due to a torn ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) for which she underwent a surgery.</p><p>However, she resumed training after rehabilitation last year and insisted that she has another 3-4 competitive years left in her even though Olympics was now out of bounds for her.</p><p>Amid her gradual withdrawal, Nikhat Zareen has taken over the 51kg slot, and claimed two back-to-back world titles, the latest one coming last year.</p><p>Mary Kom, on the other hand, has been seen in several administrative roles given to her by the Indian Olympic Association.</p><p>She recently headed an IOA oversight panel which investigated the sexual harassment charges levelled by some top women wrestlers against the then wrestling federation head Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.</p><p>What has added to the intrigue surrounding her is her decision to stay away from professional boxing where there is no age bar.</p><p>She is unarguably one of the most decorated Indian sportspersons of all time with six asian titles to go alongside her half a dozen world gold medals. The world body for amateur boxing gave her the moniker 'Magnificent Mary' as a tribute to her unparalleled achievements.</p><p>The mother of four is a Khel Ratna awardee and also served as a Rajya Sabha MP.</p><p>She was bestowed with the country's second highest civilian award -- the Padma Vibhushan -- in 2020.</p>