Mary shocked

New Delhi: Top Indian woman boxer M C Mary Kom says coach Stephane Cottalorda's resignation has left her shocked and she would try to convince him on reconsidering it.

Reacting to the development, Mary Kom, a five-time world champion and an Olympic bronze-medallist, told PTI, "It is very disappointing and I am quite shocked. Speaking as an athlete, I can only say that he had been an excellent addition to the camp."

"It was our responsibility to take care of his requirements. I hope he comes back, in fact, I will personally try to convince him on coming back," said the boxer, who is also a government observer for the sport.

Cottalorda alleged that he repeatedly communicated his concerns to the federation, which did not act on them.The federation, on its part, asserted that most of Cottalorda's demands have been met and they would try and persuade him to come back. Ironically, his initial arrival itself was delayed by over a month owing to some procedural issues.

Besides being an experienced coach for women boxers in France, which earned him a three-star rating from the International Boxing Association, Cottalorda has also been a certified coach in the AIBA Pro-Boxing and the World Series of Boxing.