Hyderabad: So, here's a new twist to the tale around Mary Kom's retirement plans. The Olympic bronze medallist has refuted reports that she has hung up her gloves attributing it to misplaced quotes.
Taking a 'volte-face' she now says she never announced her adieu.
"I have not announced retirement yet and I have been misquoted. I will personally come in front of the 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," Mary Kom said as quoted by ANI.
"I was attending a school event in Dibrugarh on January 24 wherein I was motivating children and I said "I still have a hunger to achieve in sports but the age limit in Olympics doesn't allow me to participate though I can carry on with my sport. I am still focusing on my fitness and whenever I will announce retirement I will inform everyone," Mary Kom added.
Earlier, on Wednesday, the star boxer was quoted as saying in an event, "I have the hunger still but unfortunately because of the age limit it is over I cannot compete in any competition. I want to play more but I am being forced to quit due to the age limit. I have to retire. I have achieved everything in my life."
As per the International Boxing Association (IBA), athletes above 40 years old cannot participate in the Olympic Games. Mary Kom is currently 41 years old and was born on November 24, 1982.
The pioneering female boxer, Mary Kom stands as the first to win six world titles and the first Indian woman to earn a gold medal in boxing at the 2014 Asian Games. She also became the first Indian female boxer to participate in the Olympics and to win a bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
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