Asian Games:Mary Kom wins gold, tearful Sarita attends victory ceremony
INCHEON: Indian boxer Sarita Devi broke down on the podium during the Asian Games medal ceremony for the lightweight 57-60 kg category today, refusing to wear the bronze medal awarded to her around her neck. She accepted the medal in her hand and wiped her tears holding it, before handing it to silver medalist Ji Na Park of host South Korea, who had defeated her on Tuesday.
The 32-year-old later said she would continue to compete as she wants to set an example for future boxers, but “this is not acceptable.” on points had left Sarita standing stunned in the middle of the ring in disbelief on Tuesday. Sarita and Park had exchanged heavy blows through the first two rounds, but the Indian was clearly the more powerful in the remaining two, with even local fans silenced by her onslaughts.
The final decision in the bout – with two judges ruling against Sarita – was booed by fans. The Indian bench looked angry as Sarita had seemed the better puncher and scored repeatedly in the crucial third round with straight punches on Jina’s face.India later lodged an official protest with the Amateur International Boxing Association’s technical jury team.After Tuesday’s clash, Sarita’s husband Thoiba Singh was heard screaming as he got into a scuffle with security officials, accusing the Koreans of “stealing” the medal. Sarita broke down and later said, “I kept my child away from me to train hard. When a player trains hard and something controversial like this happens, it is very sad.”
Fellow boxer Mary Kom, who won a historic gold today, supported Sarita. “Of course she (Park) won because she is Korean,” she told Reporters.Sarita had won a silver in the Commonwealth Games earlier this year.
