By Alkesh Sharma, IANS,
Chandigarh: MC Mary Kom, who won the gold in the Asian Cup women boxing tournament in China Monday, had no time to celebrate her win. She rushed to Chandigarh to be with her ailing son.
Her three-and-a-half0year old son K. Khupneivar, who is suffering from congenital heart disease, underwent cardiovascular surgery at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) here Wednesday.
He has been admitted for some days. His father K. Onler Kom is looking after him.
The father and son are expecting Mary Kom to join them before the surgery Wednesday afternoon.
“It was a difficult decision for my wife to go to China to play in the Asian Cup at this point of time. She did not want to leave Khupneivar but made up her mind with much difficulty. However, I am proud of her as she has proved her decision right by winning gold there. Before leaving, she had said that she wanted to win gold for Khupneivar,” Onler told IANS.
“My son is also very happy over her win. We saw her box on the internet,” he said.
Manipuri Mary Kom, 28, a mother of two, defeated Asian champion Kim Myong Sim of North Korea 4-3 in the final bout of the 48-kg category, to win the women’s boxing gold.
“We came to know about Khupneivar’s disease two-three months back. A doctor friend in Chandigarh advised an open heart surgery. We chose PGIMER because this place is close to the National Institute of Sports, Patiala, where Mary Kom was practicing,” said Onler.
Besides winning five consecutive world titles, Mary Kom has four Asian Championship gold medals and 11 national titles under her belt. She is an Arjuna Award winner and has also won Padma Shri and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award.
This was the first tournament for Mary Kom after her bronze medal win in the Asian Games of 2010.