Mary Kom facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mary Kom
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Kom at the British High Commission in 2011
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| Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 25 April 2016 – 24 April 2022 |
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| Nominated by | Pranab Mukherjee | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | P. T. Usha | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Constituency | Nominated (Sports) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born |
Mangte Chungneijang Kom
24 November 1982 Kagathei, Churachandpur, Manipur, India |
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| Spouse |
Karong Onkholer Kom
(m. 2005; div. 2023) |
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| Children | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Awards | Padma Vibhushan (2020) Padma Bhushan (2013) Padma Shri (2006) |
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Mary Kom is a famous Indian boxer and a former politician. She is known as Magnificent Mary because of her amazing achievements in boxing. Mary Kom is the only woman to win the World Amateur Boxing Championship six times. She is also the only female boxer to win a medal in the first seven World Championships. In fact, she is the only boxer, male or female, to win eight World Championship medals!
Mary Kom was the only Indian female boxer to qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. There, she won a bronze medal in the flyweight (51 kg) category. She was once ranked the world's number one female light-flyweight boxer. Mary Kom was also the first Indian female boxer to win a gold medal at the Asian Games in 2014. She also won gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. She has been the Asian Amateur Boxing Champion a record six times.
In 2016, the President of India chose Mary Kom to be a member of the Rajya Sabha, which is like the upper house of the Indian parliament. In 2017, the Indian government also made her a national observer for boxing. After winning her sixth world title in 2018, the government of Manipur gave her the title "Meethoi Leima." This means "great or exceptional lady." A road in Imphal, where she lives, was named MC Mary Kom Road. In 2020, she received the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian award.
Contents
Early Life and Inspiration
Mary Kom was born on November 24, 1982, in a small village called Kagathei. This village is in the Churachandpur district of Manipur, India. Her parents, Mangte Tonpa Kom and Mangte Akham Kom, were tenant farmers. They worked on fields called jhum fields. Mary grew up helping her parents on the farm. She also went to school and enjoyed sports.
Mary was the oldest of three children. She has a younger sister and a brother. Her family is Christian and Baptist. In school, Mary was interested in athletics, especially javelin and 400-meter running. She studied at Loktak Christian Model High School and St. Xavier Catholic School.
A big moment for Mary and many others in Manipur was when Dingko Singh, a boxer from Manipur, won a gold medal at the 1998 Asian Games. This inspired many young people, including Mary, to try boxing. She decided to start training in 2000.
Starting Her Boxing Journey
Mary moved to Imphal for high school. She didn't pass her final school exam, so she left school. She later completed her education through another program and graduated from Churachandpur College.
Mary played many sports in school, like volleyball and football. But Dingko Singh's success made her switch to boxing. She began training with her first coach, K. Kosana Meitei, in Imphal. When she was 15, she moved to the Imphal Sports Academy. Her coach remembered her as a very dedicated and hardworking girl. She learned boxing quickly.
Mary kept her boxing interest a secret from her father at first. He was worried that boxing might hurt her face and make it hard for her to get married. But when her photo appeared in a newspaper after she won a state boxing championship in 2000, her father found out. After three years, he saw how much she loved boxing and started to support her.
Mary Kom's Boxing Career
After getting married, Mary Kom took a short break from boxing. She had twin sons in 2007. After that, she started training again and returned to the sport.
In 2008, she won a silver medal at the Asian Women's Boxing Championship. She then won her fourth gold medal in a row at the 2008 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships. She also won a gold medal at the 2009 Asian Indoor Games.
In 2010, Mary won gold at the Asian Women's Boxing Championship and her fifth gold at the 2010 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships. She competed in the 48 kg weight category. At the 2010 Asian Games, she won a bronze medal in the 51 kg class. In 2011, she won gold at the Asian Women's Cup.
Olympic Dreams and Medals
Mary Kom used to fight in lighter weight categories. But for the 2012 London Olympics, women's boxing was only allowed in three weight categories. So, she moved up to the 51 kg category. The 2012 Olympics was the first time women's boxing was an Olympic sport.
Mary competed for both the championship and a spot in the Olympics. She was the only Indian woman to qualify for the boxing event. In her first Olympic match, she defeated Karolina Michalczuk of Poland. She then beat Maroua Rahali of Tunisia in the quarter-finals. In the semi-final, she lost to Nicola Adams of the UK. However, she still won an Olympic bronze medal. The Manipur Government gave her a cash award and land to celebrate her achievement.
Mary wanted to represent India at the 2016 Rio Olympics, but she could not qualify. She competed in the 2020 Summer Olympics (held in 2021 due to the pandemic). She fought against Ingrit Valencia but lost.
On October 1, 2014, Mary Kom won her first gold medal at the 2014 Asian Games in South Korea. She beat Zhaina Shekerbekova of Kazakhstan in the final.
In 2017, she won her fifth gold medal at the Asian Boxing Confederation women's boxing championships in Vietnam. The only major international event she hadn't won a medal in was the Commonwealth Games. Her weight category was not included until the 2018 Commonwealth Games. There, she won the gold medal in the women's light flyweight 48 kg category.
On November 24, 2018, Mary Kom made history. She became the first woman to win six World Championships. This happened at the 10th AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships in New Delhi, India. In October 2019, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) chose Mary Kom as a female athlete ambassador for boxing at the 2020 Summer Olympics. In May 2021, Mary Kom won her seventh medal at the Asian Championships, a silver.
Achievements and Awards
Mary Kom set new standards in amateur boxing. She became the first amateur athlete to win the Padma Bhushan, a high civilian award in India.
National Awards
- Padma Vibhushan (Sports), 2020
- Padma Bhushan (Sports), 2013
- Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award, 2009
- Padma Shri (Sports), 2006
- Arjuna Award (Boxing), 2003
Other Recognitions
- The AIBA gave Mary Kom the first AIBA Legends award.
- She was named the brand ambassador for the 2016 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships.
- She was named "People of the Year" by Limca Book of Records in 2007.
- She received the "Magnificent Mary" title from AIBA in 2008.
- She was the International Boxing Association's Ambassador for Women's Boxing in 2009.
- She was named Sportswoman of the Year in 2010 by Sahara Sports Award.
- She received honorary doctorate degrees from two universities.
Personal Life
Mary Kom is married to Karung Onkholer, who is also known as Onler. They met in 2000 when Mary's luggage was stolen during a train journey. Onler, who was studying law, helped her. They became friends and later married in 2005.
Mary and Onler have three sons, including twins born in 2007. Their third son was born in 2013. In 2018, they adopted a girl named Merilyn.
Supporting Good Causes
Mary Kom is a strong supporter of animal rights. She works with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India. She appeared in an advertisement asking for an end to using elephants in circuses. She believes circuses are cruel places for animals.
Mary also supports PETA India's "Compassionate Citizen" program. This program teaches children to be kind to animals. She has asked education ministers across India to include this program in school lessons. She believes that teaching compassion to young people is important. It helps to stop cruelty to animals.
See also
In Spanish: Mary Kom para niños
