Mary Kom qualifies for London Olympics

Qinhuangdao, China: Star Indian woman boxer MC Mary Kom (51kg) has qualified for the 2012 London Olympics. The five-time world champion had failed to make it past the quarter-finals of the World Champions here on Wednesday when she lost to world No.2 Nicola Adams, but Adams' victory over Russia's world champion Yelena Savelyeva in the semis has ensured Mary Kom's progression to the prestigious event.

However, Kavita (+81kg) was the lone Indian woman boxer to clinch a medal at the event after she settled for a bronze in the semifinal against Kazakhstan's Yuldus Mamatkulova.

Women's boxing will make its Olympic debut in three weight categories in London - 51kg, 60kg and 75kg. Asia has two slots in the 51kg division and Mary Kom has filled the second one after Asian Games gold-medalist Ren Cancan of China.

Women\'s boxing will make its Olympic debut in three weight categories in London - 51kg, 60kg and 75kg.

"Olympic slot confirmed finally! I am so happy," the reigning Asian champion said. "I saw the bout. I know the Russian was not very good but I am a bit sad as well because I won't have a medal around my neck this time."

In Mary Kom's division, one slot had been taken by China's Asian Games gold-medalist Ren Cancan, who has reached the final. The other slot was to be decided between Mary Kom and North Korea's Hye Kim. While Mary Kom had lost to Adams, Kim had gone down to Savelyeva in the quarter-finals.

The winner of the Savelyeva-Adams bout was to decide the second slot for Asia and luckily for the 29-year-old Manipuri, the result went her way. "I was not tense before today's bout. There was no point in worrying about something that was not in my hands. I only thought about god. God has seen my struggle and I knew my hard work would not go waste just because of one loss," she said.

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