“I have to go a long way”: Merykom
The first Indian woman who has won a medal at the World Boxing Championship, wants to be consistent winner.

North East News Agency

IT is quite amazing that the girl, known worldwide for her aggressive approach in the ring, is actually very shy and introvert. Interviewing her is a bit difficult as she giggles more than she speaks. Women boxing may be a new sport discipline, but within this short span of time, 18-year-old Mangte Chungneijang Merykom achieved a feat, which made all the Indians proud.

The girl from Moirang in Churachandpur of Manipur has won a silver medal in light flyweight category in the World Cup Boxing Championship held in Pennsylvania and in the process entered her name in the record book as the first Indian to win a medal at World Boxing Championship. She is now ranked No.2 in the world in her category. 

In Pennsylvania, Merykom’s performance is more praiseworthy as the Indian squad reached the venue well after the competition began due to visa problem. Many Indian boxers, as a matter of fact, got no time to rest, as they had to rush to the ring straight from the airport because of delayed arrival.

But Merykom was the only exception and was not to be perturbed by all such hindrances. She concentrated hard on the job at hand and punched out her opponents till the final. But on the big day, finally nerve caught her and she tried to defend more abandoning her natural style, which allowed her opponent to win the gold.

Merykom was recently in Delhi to participate in the second National Women Boxing Championship. During the championship, North East News Agency speaks to the wonder girl to trace her route of success.

Excerpts:

North East News Agency: Did you want to be a boxer since childhood?

Merykom: No, no. Though I was fond of sports from the very beginning, I never thought of becoming a boxer. My entry in this discipline is rather by accident than planned. I was pursuing athletics in Imphal. At that time, I found that I could not devote sufficient time to my studies. My tough training schedule was hampering my studies. As I was very much interested in sports, I used to practise almost all the disciplines of athletics. I was doing 400 m, pole vault, javelin, all and that used to take enough time. At the same time, I was not willing to compromise with my studies. So, I was in the look-out for another discipline, which would not consume so much time. Luckily, I found that practising boxing would allow me to concentrate on my studies and I decided to give it a try. That is how I entered in the ring.

NENA: And the rest is history.

Merykom: Is it? I don’t think so. Still I have a long way to go. It’s just a beginning. Good showing in one tournament means nothing. Consistency is the key factor in sports. Without being consistent, no one has been able to create history. Thus my first job is to be consistent with my performance. And only at the end of my boxing career, I would like to think whether I really achieved something or not. Before that, my only motto is to fight hard and win as many bouts as possible.

NENA: Your performances speak for yourself. You won gold in all the major national championships. That proves that you are consistent enough.

Merykom: Yes, it is a fact that I won gold in all major national events, I participated. But that is not enough. Don’t forget that I returned empty-handed from the first Asian Women Championship. Though, I did well in Pennsylvania, I could not win gold there. No one likes the losers. I want to win these two titles. Success at the national level is encouraging. But the real test is in the international meet. I want to do well at the international events too.

NENA: As you are from Manipur, Dingko Singh’s performance in the last Asiad must have influenced you a lot.

Merykom: Dingko’s performance in the last Asiad has not only inspired the Manipuris, but also inspired the sportspersons all over the country. Hope, in future, we will be able to see many such performances from our sportspersons, which will inspire the future generation of the country to excell in sports.

NENA: Before entering into the boxing ring, didn’t you face any resistance from your parents?

Merykom: Yes, initially there was lot of opposition. But when I started doing well, my parents also relented and now they are happy with my progress so far.

NENA: When did you decide to be a sportswoman?

Merykom: As I told you earlier that from my childhood I was interested in sports. I won many prizes in school in sports. My parents were also happy that sporting activities did not affect my studies. Some time later, I realised that I was so much in love with sports that I could not live without it. So I told mother that I want to pursue sports further. But the problem was that in Moirang, there were very little facilities for sports. So I decided to come down to Imphal. Initially, my parents were not in favour of the idea. But, soon they realised that I was determined and they allowed me to go to Imphal.

NENA: Apart from boxing, which are your favourite sports?

Merykom: Athletics and football. These days, I use to play lot of football just for fun.

NENA: What are your hobbies?

Merykom: I love music. I like singing. At one point of time, I thought of becoming a singer rather than a sportswoman.

NENA: It means that loss of music is a gain to boxing.

Merykom: Not really. Because my father was totally against the idea. He never wanted me to be a singer and actually vowed not to make me a singer.

NENA: Who is your favourite coach?

Merykom: Many coaches trained me and they contributed tremendously in shaping my career. Thus, it is impossible for me to single out anyone. I am grateful to Moirangthen Nasjid, L. Kishen Singh and others.

NENA: Who is your favourite boxer?

Merykom: Mike Tyson.

NENA: Tell us about your working schedule?

Merykom: I practise for four hours each day. Two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening. 

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