Gold would have been mine, if had won semis: Mary Kom

In a CNBC-TV18's special show Beautiful People, Anuradha Sengupta talks to Kom about her efforts and her ultimate triumph.

Here is an edited excerpt.

Q: It’s been a month since you achieved your dream of an Olympic medal. What is your strongest memory of the Olympics?

A: When I was at the medal ceremony that is my strongest memory. In the past, I have fought many championships, Asian Championship but this was a different experience. The World Championship gold medal is another medal I have won. But the Olympic medal is very special for me.

Q: So you remember standing on that podium, all the flags going up and you having the medal. But you must have analyzed the bouts you played. I remember reading somewhere that the semifinal that you lost to Nicola Adams you said that it is almost like a repeat of what happened in May in Beijing and yet when we spoke to you before you went when you were in your camp in Pune and Charles Atkinson your coach said about how there is a strategy and a way to deal with the fact that she is a taller and bigger woman with better reach. What do you think on that day didn’t fall into place for you?

A: In the camp at Pune and before the Olympic I was trained in Liverpool and every evening I used to analyze the World Championship bout. I was very confident that this time I am going to beat her. But unfortunately I couldn’t. The first fight was very tough for me.

Q: Your first fight against Karolina Michalczuk?

A: Yes and I even analyzed the fight between the Polish girl and Nicola and fighting with the Chinese, they are also very hard to win. They win but they win only by one or two points be it in the last World Championship or European Championship. Fighting with Nicola and the Polish girl, Nicola is also very hard to beat.

So the same thing applies to me also, I am also very hard. Yes I won by difference of 4-5 points against the Polish girl and all my energy went in that.

The second fight with Tunisia was very easy and luckily I won that easily. The next day was a rest day and on August 8 my whole body was aching so I couldn’t use my body properly. My mind was working but my body was not allowing me, that is why I lost. If my body had been okay then I would have had a better shot.

Q: Nicola Adams would not have had that shot at the gold.

A: Yes and even Nicola was a little bit scared of me and also Ren Cancan. And in the final Nicola beat Ren Cancan one-sided. If I had won semifinal I would have easily won the gold medal.