MC Mary Kom becomes Asian boxing champion for the fifth time

India's boxing legend won her fifth gold medal at the Asian Boxing Championships on Wednesday in the 48kg category.

MC Mary Kom (PTI)

New Delhi: India's boxing legend MC Mary Kom won her fifth gold medal at the Asian Boxing Championships on Wednesday beating North Korea’s Hyang Mi Kim in the 48kg final.

'Magnificent Mary', as the Olympic medal winner is popularly known, started aggressively in the first round and then carefully looked for openings to score in the subsequent two rounds. In the end, she won by a unanimous 5-0 verdict.

Despite not qualifying for the 2016 Rio Olympics, the unprecedented fifth Asian gold has put Mary Kom firmly in contention to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, though she still has a long road to travel before that materializes. 

She last won an international medal at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, which was also a record as she became the first woman boxer from India to clinch top podium finish in the 51kg category.

5th time Asian champion @MangteC on podium .

Congrats pic.twitter.com/eCtoQ9L9Rh

— Sports India (@SportsIndia3) November 8, 2017

Overall, this is the sixth Asian Boxing Championships medal for Mary Kom. Besides the five gold now, she also won a silver medal in the 2008 edition of the competition.

Mary Kom defeated Japan's Tsubasa Komura, also by a unanimous 5-0 verdict, in the semifinal on Tuesday to make it to the title bout.

Also in line for a gold later in the day will be India's Sonia Lather in the 57kg category.