London Olympics bronze medallist Mary Kom has decided to give the women’s national boxing championships, scheduled to start in Hisar on Thursday, a miss.
The 38-year-old Mary Kom, however, has been training for the world championships scheduled for December. She was last seen in action at the Tokyo Olympics, where she lost in the pre-quarterfinals.
The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) had earlier announced that only gold medal winners from the nationals will make the cut for the Indian squad for the world championships, to be held in Istanbul, Turkey.
Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain was to be the only exception and was handed a direct entry for the world championships. She will also skip the nationals.
It is still unclear if Mary Kom, a six-time world champion, will also get a direct entry for the world championships.
However, two-time Asian champion Pooja Rani and Simranjit Kaur will be competing in the domestic meet. Both of them last competed at the Tokyo Olympics.
The men’s event, meanwhile, will start on Sunday in Belgrade, Serbia.
