Magnificent Mary

“Never buy gold, simply earn it” – Mary Kom

Born into a poor family of landless agricultural labourers in Manipur, Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom was no ordinary girl. From living in a mud & thatch hut to winning five world Championships in a row, like Borg or Federer at Wimbledon, Mary Kom’s journey as a Boxing sensation is both arduous and inspiring.

It was in 1998 with the success of Dingko Singh, an Indian boxer from Manipur, in the Asian Games that first kindled passion in Mary Kom towards boxing and catapulted her to enhance her skills and become a professional boxer. She approached Ibomcha Singh, the head coach at the Sports Authority of India centre to teach her boxing. Ibomcha Singh recounts her being so small and young that he turned her away at first. However, at the end of the day, he found her waiting for him at the gate. In the ring, her attitude struck him as “do or die”. In 2000, she began her training under M Narjit Singh, Manipur State Boxing Coach. As Mary Kom belonged to a conservative family, seeking approval from her folks to pursue a career in boxing was not going to be an easy task. Therefore, she kept her interest towards boxing under wraps from her family. It was only after Mary Kom won the Manipur State Boxing championship in 2000 that her family found out about her stint into boxing. In an interview with the Deccan Herald in 2004, Mary Kom said,

“I still remember I was castigated by my father who said with a battered and bruised face, I should not expect to get married. He was furious that I took to boxing – a taboo for women – and he did not have the slightest idea about it. But my passion for the sport had got the better of me and I thank my cousins who coaxed and cajoled my father into eventually giving his nod. I’m happy that I did not let anybody down”

Mary Kom won a Silver at her first AIBA World Women’s Boxing Championship 2001 held in Scranton, USA,  after losing to Hulya Sahin of Turkey by 13-5 in the 48-kg round. The next year, she struck gold at the second AIBA World Women’s Senior Boxing Championship, 2002 held in Antalya, Turkey, winning the 45-kg division by defeating Svetlana Miroshnichenko of Ukraine in the semi-final and Jang Song-Ae of North Korea in the finals. Her once-skeptical father accompanied his trail-blazing daughter to the ceremony in which she was honored with the prestigious Arjuna award for her achievement in boxing, making her the first Indian woman ever to receive this award. She successfully defended her 46-kg world title at the third AIBA Women’s World Championships 2005 held in Podolsk, Russia. She won the final by a 28-13 score over Jong Ok of North Korea, who had reached the finals with a 22-20 decision over Gretchen Abaniel of the Philippines. On 23 November 2006 at the AIBA World Championships held in Talkatora Indoor Stadium, New Delhi, Mary kom again won the 46-kg division – this time with a 22-7 decision over her Venus Box Cup final opponent Steluta Duta of Romania. Mary kom kept the Romanian on the defensive for most of the bout, then celebrated her win with a demonstration of Manipuri folk dance in the ring.

Owing to her pregnancy and the subsequent delivery through a C section, Mary Kom took some time off from boxing. Despite the stress of motherhood and physical weakness, she made her return in the 2008 Asian Women’s Boxing Championship where she clinched a silver medal, followed by a fourth successive gold medal at the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championship held in China. Mary Kom won her fifth consecutive gold at the 2010 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championship held in Barbados.

Mary Kom scripted history by winning the bronze medal in the 51 Kg weight category at the 2012 Olympics held in London, making her the first Indian woman boxer to have achieved such a victory.

For her contribution towards boxing, Mary Kom has been bestowed with the Arjuna Award (2003), Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award (2009), Padma Shree (2006) and she also holds the distinction of being the first amateur athlete to win a Padma Bhushan Award in 2013.

Speaking about her time as a woman boxer in India, Mary Kom has said,

“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 it’s only because of sheer grit and hard work that I have made it so far.”

Mary Kom released her autobiography, Unbreakable, in late 2013, co-authored by Dina Serto and published by Harper Collins. In 2014, Priyanka Chopra played the role of Mary Kom in a film named and based on the Boxer’s journey. In 2015, Mary Kom became the first amateur boxer to surpass several professional athletes in India in terms of earnings, endorsements and awards.

Mary’s greatest support has been her husband Onler who is also her mentor, motivator and manager; the Man behind the Woman. Often women find it extremely difficult to leave behind their domestic responsibilities in order to fulfil their career goals but Onlar has stood by Mary’s side in every step of the way and has never let the stigmas of the orthodox society prevent Mary from pursuing her dreams.

Mary Kom can rightly be hailed as an inspiration for women all around the world. She has successfully broken all the taboos that society puts on a woman by not letting marriage or motherhood become an excuse to give up on her ambitions. When talking about criticisms, Mary once remarked,

“Many doubted my ability to win a gold in South Korea. There is a mindset that a woman, after becoming a mother, cannot rise to great heights in sports. I think I have proved the mindset wrong.”

Happy International Women’s Day from the Team at Fitness Fight Club

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