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Feel sorry for Sarita Devi: Mary Kom

| | Oct 04, 2014, at 07:27 pm
New Delhi, Oct 4 (IBNS): Gold Medalist Indian boxer Mary Kom on Saturday stood beside Sarita Devi and said that her fellow pugilist has clearly been cheated upon.

Speaking to NDTV, the Asian Games Champion said, “Felt sorry for Sarita Devi. She was cheated for sure.”

She did not back the reactions of Sarita Devi though, but maintained that it was Sarita’s way of protest.

“I would not have refused a medal like Sarita Devi. But it was her way of proving a point,” said Mary Kom.

On her triumph factor, she said, “If you have a good husband, if you have a good family, every woman can do what she wants.”

Earlier, speaking to NDTV on Friday, Sarita Devi apologized for her actions.

She said, “I apologized for the sake of my nation. I apologised taking my country's interests into consideration. What I did on the podium shouldn't affect my teammates.”

“The support I got from fans has mended my broken heart. I want to forget all that has happened to me,” she added.

In the same time, she maintained that her opponent also knew that she won the fight.

“My Korean opponent accepted that I had won the bout,” reiterated Sarita.

She said, “I was pained at the way I was treated by the system. I hope that such a thing never happens to another player,” she added.

Sarita Devi landed in a big controversy after she refused to wear the bronze medal she won in the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.

The row started after Sarita Devi lost the semi-final match against host nation South Korea's Park Ji-Na on Wednesday morning.

In the controversy clouded semi-final bout, Devi lost to Park 3-0 despite clearly being the better boxer.

Despite hit by Sarita's punches on her chins, the referee Algerian referee Hammadi Yakoub Kheira did not give a single standing count.

All three ringside judges ruled in favour of the local boxer.

Sarita told media then: "I am feeling very sad." 

She also slammed the Indian officials later for not reaching out to her.

A disconsolate Sarita had refused to accept her bronze medal during the medal ceremony.

She was in tears in the podium when she was asked to accept the bronze, as she refused to wear the medal in protest.

Instead after taking the medal in her hand, Sarita handed it over to South Korean silver medalist Ji Na Park who had defeated her.

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