Mary Kom bids adieu to Olympic stage after loss to Colombia's Ingrit Lorena Valencia

GUWAHATI: MC Mary Kom (38), the Indian amateur boxer, bid adieu to the Tokyo Olympics after she lost her Rond of 16 clash in the Women’s Flyweight category against Colombia's Ingrit Lorena Valencia (32) today.

The Colombian, a bronze medalist at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, won the competition 3:2 after a split decision by the judges.

With her defeat, Mary Kom's quest for a second Olympic medal ended, as this was her final appearance at the Games.

Although the age requirement for an age limit to compete in the Olympics depends on the sport, boxing seemingly has an age limit.

According to the IOC's website, one must be at least 18 years old and no more than 40 years old to compete in the Olympics as a boxer.

The 38-year-old, who is a six-time world champion, however,  greeted the outcome with a wide smile and hugged her opponent after the fight.

Valencia started the bout with a promising sprint towards the Indian boxer. However,  Mary Kom produced a smooth start as both the boxers exchanged punches.

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Following the conclusion of Round 1, which saw both boxers put on dominant performances, the judges ruled in favour of the Colombian, who won the opening round 4-1.

The second round followed a similar pattern, but this time the Indian prevailed over her opponent.

The final round featured a tough battle between the two, with an exhausted Mary keeping the momentum against an active Valencia, and going on to win the round 3-2.

Valencia's performance in the first round, however, gave her the much-needed edge over the Indian, and she went on to win the bout.

Mary had previously defeated Valencia in the quarterfinals of the 2019 World Championship, and this marked Colombian's first career victory against the legend.

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