Mary Kom : An Inspirational Story

  

Guys, recently a film has been released Mary Kom. Let me ask you a simple question, ofcourse the question is simple but surely very few of them would be able to answer it. Before the film, would you had any idea Who is Mary Kom? I think, the answer is NO. I am also amongs you. This is because we only stimulate stated games such as Cricket, Hockey, Football. I am not saying every Indian don't know her, the ratio states that upto 55 percentile of Indians haven't any idea of this well known boxer Mary Kom. Well, everyone has its choice but every Indian must know about such legends and especially, who are sports lovers.

So friends, Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom (born 1 March 1983), also know as MC Mary Kom, Magnificent Mary or simply Mary Kom, is an Indian Boxer. 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. She is the only Indian woman boxer to have qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics, competing in the flyweight(51kg) category and winning the bronze medal. She has also been ranked as No. 4 AIBA World Women's Ranking Flyweight category.

She launched her autobiography, Unbreakable, at the Forum Mall in Banglore on 11th December 2013. Kom also has started a female-only fight club at Imphal to teach girls to defend themselves against sexual violence in India.

Lets move on to her personal life, Kom was born in Kangathei, in Churachandpur district of Manipur. Her parents, Mangte Tonpa Kom and Mangte Akham Kom, worked in Jhum fields. She completed her primary education from Loktak Christan Model High School, Mojrang, up to her class VI standard and attended St. Xavier Catholic Shool, Mojrang, up to class VIII. She then moved to Adimjati High School, Imphal, for her schooling for class IX and X, but could not pass her exam. She did not want to reappear for her exams so she quit her school and gave her examination from NIOS, Imphal and graduation from Churachandpur College.

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

Then she married to Onler Kom and had two twin sons, Rechungvar and Khupneivar. They first met in 2001 when Kom was at New Delhi on her way to National Gmaes in Punjab while Onler was studying at Delhi University. They married in 2005 after 4 years of dating.

After an eight- year break, she won a silver medal at the 2008 Asian Women's Boxing Championship in India and a fourth successive gold medal at the AIBA Women's World Boxing Championship in China, followed by a gold medal at the 2009 Asian Indoor Games in  Vinetam.

In 2010, Kom won the gold medal at the Asian Women's Boxing Championship In Kazakhstan, and at the AIBA Women's World Boxing Championship in Barbados, her fifth consecutive gold the 46kg class. In the 2010 Asian Games, she completed in the 51kg class- the lowest in the contest- won a bronze medal. In 2011, she won gold in the 48 kg class at the Asian Women's Cup in China and in 2012 took the gold medal in the 51 kg class at the Asian Women's Boxing Championship in Mingolia.

On 3rd Oct 2010, she, along with Samjay and Harshit Jain, had the honor of bearing the Kings's Baton in its opening ceremony run in the stadium for the 2010 Common wealth Games of Delhi. She did not complete. However, as women's boxing was not included in the Commonwealth games.

Mary, a five time world champion, had won several medals in the 46 and 48 kg categories. She was forced to this category and gain weight two years ago after the world body decided to allow women's boxing in only three weight categories- the lowest one being 51kg.

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 semi finals by Nicola Adams of the UK making thus the first year since the championship began that Kom did not win a medal, but did succeed in getting a place for the Olympics. She was the only Indian to qualify for boxing event.

Here we have a statement of Mary, " To be a successful boxer one must also have a strong heart. Some women are physically strong but fail when it comes to having a strong heart. One also must have the zeal and the right fighting spirit. We work harder than men and are determined to fight with all our strength to make our nation proud. God has given me the talent and its's only because of sheer grit and hard work that I have made it so far" 

Mary Kom works out five to six hours a day to stay fit. Coming from a poor family who struggled to educate her siblings, her success as a world champion is a testament to her determination, perseverance and drive to succeed. She has used her earnings from boxing to obtain a new house and land for her parents and sayings deposits for her younger siblings but she bemoans the lack of sponsorship for Indian female boxers saying" I guess that because I don't play tennis or cricket. Seriously, are there no other sports in India?" She has said that she would eventually like to share her boxing experience while grooming new sports talent in Manipur.