Marriage is no hindrance to achieve success, feels Mary Kom

Jamshedpur : Marriage is not a hindrance to achieve success at any level of competition provided one has a supportive family, feels pugilists of international repute.

"If you have a will power and a supporiive family, I do not hink marriage is a stumbling block in achieving success at any level of competition," four-time world champion boxer M C Mary Kom, international women boxers L Sarita Devi, Laxmi Paharia and Aruna Mishra observed.

The boxers are here to participate in the ongoing 110th senior women's national boxing championship at J R D Tata Sports complex. Mary Kom is taking part in the ongoing championship in the 46-kg category.

Mary Kom, who was recently honoured with the country's highest sports award 'Rajiv Khel Ratna', said "I am married with two children, but my marriage has never caused any problem as far as my performance whether at domestic or international level is concerned."

In fact, she described her 2008 World championship victory in China after her marriage as her best performance so far, though it was a comeback performance.

She thanked her supportive family in general and her husband in particular for her performance.

Mary Kom, 27, said, "Will power and hard-work was the most needed ingredients for achieving success before or after marriage."

Mary Kom, who has a dream to win a gold medal for the country in the 2012 London Olympic Games, was delighted to know that women's boxing had been included in the Olympics for the first time.

Mary Kom's state-cum-team-mate L. Sarita Devi (27), a nine time national champion and a gold medalist in Hyderabad and Guwahati national games in the 57-kg category, expressed a similar opinion when asked to compare between her pre and post-marriage performances.

A gold medalist in the world police tournament in Canada this year, Sarita Devi, who has a child, said she never felt that her marriage had an adverse impact on the ring whether at home or abroad.

An Arjuna awardee Sarita Devi, who hails from the Northeast, admitted that the decision of the husband and family plays a vital role as far as continuing in the sport was concerned.

Sarita Devi is currently focussing on the indoor Asian championship to be held in Vietnam from 30th October to 8th November.

Asked if two and a half years was sufficient time for the Indian team to win medal in the next Olympics, she said, "We should have begun our preparation earlier like China had."