October 6, 2014
ASIA / PACIFIC
THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 3
Mary Kom draws crowds
even in faraway venues
By C. Rajshekhar Rao
AP Sports Writer
NCHEON, South Korea — India’s
star woman boxer, M.C. Mary Kom,
was not surprised at the crowd
support for her at the Asian Games. The
sprightly 31-year-old acknowledges cheers
from the stands and does not even mind
being pushed around as her fans jostle
with each other to get a photo with her.
The five-time world champion says she
is used to seeing people flock to venues to
watch her and understands that her
stature has increased several-fold after a
Hindi commercial movie was made about
her last month.
“I expected people to come and watch me
compete,” Mary Kom said without any hint
of conceit. “I’ve been fortunate to have a
fan following and understand that women
in particular idolize me.”
A huge group of Indian expatriates visit
her at the Seonhak Gymnasium in what is
a clear sign of her popularity, which she
gained over the years after her first few
world titles were largely ignored in India.
The fact that she is the mother of three
only enhances her persona in a country
where women are making fast progress in
different walks of life and look up to her for
inspiration.
“The movie has contributed to my
popularity. But I’m still the same. I don’t
want celebrity status. I’ve got the love and
support of people, but I’d like to have my
personal freedom rather than being
thronged by a crowd at the market,” Mary
Kom said.
The film about Mary Kom shows her
early struggle at a remote village in a hilly
part of the northeastern state of Manipur
and the way she made a comeback after
giving birth to twin sons, who are now
seven.
Mary Kom had returned after a two-year
hiatus to clinch her fourth world title at
I
UNEXPECTED ERUPTION. A Nagoya City firefighter uses a gas analyzer to check toxic volcanic fumes
next to a Buddha statue near the summit of Mount Ontake in central Japan. Some survivors of the eruption made
a split-second decision to hide behind big rocks or escaped into lodges that dot the mountain’s slopes. Out-
doors, other hikers fell — hit by rocks or possibly suffocated by gasses — and were quickly buried in ash. At
least 47 people were killed in last month’s surprise eruption. (AP Photo/Nagoya City Fire Department)
Luck, instinct determined
fates of volcano hikers
By Mari Yamaguchi
The Associated Press
OKYO — Huge boulders falling
from the sky. Billowing gray smoke
that cast total darkness over the
mountain. Volcanic ash piling on the
ground and fumes filling the air.
Some survivors of the eruption of Mount
Ontake made a split-second decision to
hide behind big rocks or escaped into
lodges that dot the mountain’s slopes.
Outdoors, other hikers fell — hit by rocks
or possibly suffocated by gasses — and
were quickly buried in ash. At least 47
people were killed in last month’s surprise
eruption.
T
For survivors such as mountain guide
Sayuri Ogawa, it was a near-death
experience. The experience she recalled
and the accounts of others suggest luck
and instinct made the difference between
life and death for the hikers who were in
harm’s way.
Despite its impressive plume, the erup-
tion was not a major one with lava flow.
Yet, it proved deadly, because so many
people were at the summit on a perfect day
to enjoy hiking and the autumn leaves.
The eruption caught hikers by surprise.
Seismologists had detected signs of in-
creased seismic activity at Mount Ontake,
one of Japan’s 110 active volcanoes, but
Continued on page 13
Summer Run
BELOVED BOXER. Indian boxer M.C. Mary
Kom smiles during a press conference in New Delhi,
India, in this July 22, 2012 file photo. India’s star
woman boxer was not surprised at the crowd support
for her at the Asian Games. The sprightly 31-year-old
acknowledges cheers from the stands and does not
even mind being pushed around as her fans jostle
with each other to get a photo with her. (AP Photo/
Saurabh Das, File)
Ningbo City in China in 2008 and was
given the sobriquet of “Magnificent Mary”
by world body AIBA. She followed that
with another world title.
But the return after giving birth to twins
has not been the only comeback for Mary
Kom. After winning a bronze at the
London Olympics, Mary Kom gave birth to
her third son, now 15 months, and made
another comeback to international boxing.
However, it was not easy this time
around.
Another boxer, Pinki Jangra, was
selected for the Glasgow Commonwealth
Games after a selection bout which Mary
Kom considers a farce.
“It was only politics that kept me out.
But I’m not the one to give up,” said Mary
Kom, who won a selection bout again to
earn a seat on the flight to Incheon.
“Making a comeback after giving birth to
my third child was not easy. It was difficult
to get 100 percent fit,” Mary Kom
conceded.
“But I’m confident in international
competitions because of the experience
Continued on page 7
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