Mary Kom

Mary Kom

Kom speaking at the British High Commission in Delhi, 2011
Personal information
Birth name	Mangte Chungneijang
Full name	Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom
Nickname(s)	Magnificent Mary
Nationality	Indian
Born	(1983-03-01) 1 March 1983[1] Kangathei, Manipur, India
Residence	Imphal, Manipur, India
Occupation	MP of Rajya Sabha (nominated) from 25th April, 2016 to 24th April, 2022
Height	1.58 m (5 ft 2 in)
Weight	51 kg (112 lb)
Spouse(s)	Karung Onkholer Kom
Sport
Country	India
Sport	Boxing (Rated at 47kg, 48kg, 51kg)
Coached by	Gopal Devang, M. Narjit Singh, Charles Atkinson, Rongmei Josiah.
Medal record Representing  India Women's boxing Summer Olympics 2012 London Flyweight (51kg) Women's World Amateur Boxing Championships 2002 Antalya 45 kg 2005 Podolsk 46 kg 2006 New Delhi 46 kg 2008 Ningbo City 46 kg 2010 Bridgetown 48 kg 2001 Scranton 45 kg Asian Women's Boxing Championship 2003 Hissar Pinweight 2005 Kaohsiung Pinweight 2010 Astana Flyweight 2012 Ulaanbaatar Flyweight 2008 Guwahati Pinweight Asian Games 2014 Incheon Flyweight (51kg) 2010 Guangzhou Flyweight (51kg) Indoor Asian Games 2009 Hanoi Pinweight Asian Cup Women's Boxing Tournament 2011 Haikou 48 kg Witch Cup 2002 Pécs Pinweight

Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom (born 1 March 1983^[1]), better known as Mary Kom,^[2] is an Indian boxer hailing from the Kom-Kuki tribe in Manipur. She is a five-time World Amateur Boxing champion, and the only woman boxer to have won a medal in each one of the six world championships.^[3] Nicknamed "Magnificent Mary", she is the only Indian woman boxer to have qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics, competing in the flyweight (51 kg) category and winning the bronze medal.^[4] She has also been ranked as No. 4 AIBA World Women's Ranking Flyweight category.^[5] She became the first Indian woman boxer to get a Gold Medal in the Asian Games in 2014 in Incheon, South Korea.^[6] On 26 April 2016, she was nominated by the President of India as a member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian parliament,India^[7]

Early life

Kom was born in Kangathei, in Churachandpur district of Manipur in eastern India. Her parents, Mangte Tonpa Kom and Mangte Akham Kom, worked in jhum fields.^[8] She did her education from Loktak Christian Model High School, Moirang, up to her class VI standard and attended St. Xavier Catholic School, Moirang, up to class VIII. She then moved to Adimjati High School, Imphal, for her schooling for class IX and X, but was unable to pass the matriculation exam. Not wishing to reappear for them, she quit her school and gave her examination from NIOS, Imphal and graduation from Churachandpur College.^[9]

Although, she had a keen interest in athletics from childhood, it was the success of Dingko Singh that inspired her to become a boxer in 2000. She started her training under M. Narjit Singh, Manipur State Boxing Coach at Khuman Lampak, Imphal.^[10]

Return to boxing

After a two-year break, she won a silver medal at the 2008 Asian Women's Boxing Championship in India^[11] and a fourth successive gold medal at the AIBA Women's World Boxing Championship in China,^[12] followed by a gold medal at the 2009 Asian Indoor Games in Vietnam.^[11]

In 2010, Kom won the gold medal at the Asian Women's Boxing Championship in Kazakhstan,^[11] and at the AIBA Women's World Boxing Championship in Barbados, her fifth consecutive gold at the championship. She competed in Barbados in the 48 kg weight category, after AIBA had stopped using the 46 kg class.^[13] In the 2010 Asian Games, she competed in the 51 kg class - the lowest in the contest - and won a bronze medal. In 2011, she won gold in the 48 kg class at the Asian Women's Cup in China.

On 3 October 2010, she, along with Sanjay and Harshit Jain, had the honour of bearing the Queen's Baton in its opening ceremony run in the stadium for the 2010 Commonwealth Games of Delhi.^[14][15] She did not compete, however, as women's boxing was not included in the Commonwealth Games.

On 1 October 2014, she won her first Gold Medal at the Asian Games held at Incheon, South Korea by beating Kazakhstan’s Zhaina Shekerbekova in the flyweight (51 kg) summit clash.

Olympic Games

Kom, who had previously fought in the 46 and 48 kg categories, shifted to the 51 kg category after the world body decided to allow women’s boxing in only three weight categories eliminating the lower weight classes.

At the 2012 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championship, Kom was competing not just for the championship itself but also for a place at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, the first time women's boxing had featured as an Olympic sport. She was defeated in the 51 kg quarter-finals by Nicola Adams of the UK, but did succeed in getting a place for the Olympics. She was the only Indian woman to qualify for boxing event, with Laishram Sarita Devi narrowly missing a place in the 60 kg class.^[16]

Kom was accompanied to London by her mother^[17] and husband . Kom's coach Charles Atkinson could not join her at the Olympic Village as he didn't possess an International Boxing Association (AIBA) 3 Star Certification, which is mandatory for accreditation.^[18] She had all her luggage and passport stolen on the way to the selection camp in Bangkok, Thailand for her first Asian Women’s Boxing Championships.^[19][20] The first Olympic round was held on 5 August 2012, with Kom defeating Karolina Michalczuk of Poland 19-14 in the third women's boxing match ever to be fought at the Olympics.^[21][22] In the quarter-final, the following day, she defeated Maroua Rahali of Tunisia with a score of 15-6.^[23] She faced Nicola Adams of UK in the semi-final on 8 August 2012 and lost the bout 6 points to 11.^[24] However, she stood third in the competition and garnered an Olympic bronze medal.^[25][26][27] In recognition, the Manipur Government awarded her Rs 50 lakhs and two acres of land in a cabinet meeting held on 9 August 2012.^[28]

Super Fight League

Kom appeared on the final episode of the Super Fight League's mixed martial arts reality show - SFL Challengers. During this time Kom was in talks with owners Raj Kundra and Sanjay Dutt to work with the SFL in some manner other than being a fighter.^[29]

On 24 September, the Super Fight League announced that Kom will serve as the SFL's brand ambassador.^[30][31]

Achievements

National

• Gold – 1st Women Nat. Boxing Championship, Chennai 6–12.2.2001
• The East Open Boxing Champ, Bengal 11–14.12.2001
• 2nd Sr World Women Boxing Championship, New Delhi 26–30.12.2001
• National Women Sort Meet, N. Delhi 26–30.12.2001
• 32nd National Games, Hyderabad 2002
• 3rd Sr World Women Boxing Champ, Aizawl 4–8.3.2003
• 4th Sr WWBC, Kokrajar, Assam 24–28.2.2004
• 5th Sr WWBC, Kerala 26–30.12.2004
• 6th Sr WWBC, Jamshedpur 29 November-3.12.2005
• 10th WNBC, Jamshedpur lost QF by 1–4 on 5.10.2009

Awards and recognitions

In 2015, Kom became the first amateur to surpass several professional athletes in India in earnings, endorsements and awards. She is the first amateur athlete to win the Padma Bhushan.

Kom with Prime Minister Narendra Modi

• The International Boxing Association (AIBA) announced Mary Kom as the brand ambassador for 2016 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships^[33]
• Padma Bhushan (Sports), 2013^[34]
• Arjuna Award (Boxing), 2003
• Padma Shree (Sports), 2006^[34]
• Contender for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, 2007
• People of the Year- Limca Book of Records, 2007
• CNN-IBN & Reliance Industries' Real Heroes Award 14.4. 2008 Mon
• Pepsi MTV Youth Icon 2008
• ‘Magnificent Mary’, AIBA 2008
• Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, 2009^[35][36]
• International Boxing Association's Ambassador for Women's Boxing 2009 (TSE 30 July 2009 Thur)^[37][38]
• Sportswoman of the year 2010, Sahara Sports Award^[39]

For the bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics

• ₹50 lakh (US$74,000) cash award from the Rajasthan Government^[40]
• ₹50 lakh (US$74,000) cash award and two acres of land from the Manipur Government^[41]
• ₹20 lakh (US$30,000) cash award from the Assam Government^[42]
• ₹10 lakh (US$15,000) cash award from the Arunachal Pradesh Government^[43]
• ₹10 lakh (US$15,000) cash award from the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (India)^[44]
• ₹40 lakh (US$59,000) cash award from the North Eastern Council^[45]

Media

Her autobiography, Unbreakable, was co-authored by Dina Serto^[46] and published by Harper Collins in late 2013.^[47]

In 2014, Priyanka Chopra played the main role of Mary Kom in Mary Kom, a biographical film about her life. Although the mother tongue of Mary is Kom, a Sino-Tibetan dialect, the movie features Meithei, another Sino-Tibetan language which is the lingua franca in the Manipur mountains.

The movie is directed by Omung Kumar and was released on 5 September 2014.^[48]

Personal life

She first met her husband in 2001 when Kom was in New Delhi on her way to the National Games in Punjab and Onler was studying law at Delhi University. After four years they were married in 2005.^[49]

Together they have 3 sons: twins Rechungvar and Khupneivar (2007),^[50] and son Prince (May 2013).^[51][52]

Association with social causes

Kom is an animal rights activist, and supporter of PETA India, starring in an ad to call for an end to the use of elephants in circuses. "Circuses are cruel places for animals where they are beaten and tortured. As a mother, I can imagine what animals go through when their children are taken away from them to forcefully perform in circuses. It's sad," Kom has been quoted in the media.^[53]

Kom has also backed PETA India's humane education campaign, Compassionate Citizen. She has written a letter to the education ministers of states and union territories across India requesting that the programme be incorporated into official school curriculums. In an interview in the Times of India she was quoted as saying, "One of the best ways to knock out cruelty to animals is to teach compassion to young people. Animals need us in their corner. With violence seemingly all around us, it is more important than ever that we teach lessons of respect and kindness in the classroom."^[54]

References

Further reading

• Rath, Rajashree. "Mary Kom: Punching above her weight." Al Jazeera. 21 October 2013.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mary Kom.

• Mary Kom – official website
• Mary Kom on Twitter
  
• Mary Kom on Facebook