Mary Kom is often attributed as the boxing queen of India; India and the whole world look up to her as an inspiration. She comes across as a remarkable example to all and one, especially to the Indian women, encouraging and goading them into dreaming the impossible and pursuing their dreams despite all the challenges that may be peppered through the way to success. Hence, Mary Kom’s biography is a must read!
Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom was born in a poor family in India. As a result of her financial constraints, she had limited access to resources that are needed to facilitate the necessary means to lead a successful life. It was difficult for her family to provide her with education, let alone boxing. Despite the limitations, what kept her forging ahead was her undaunted spirit and single-minded devotion to boxing. Her passion for boxing and self-motivation answered her prayers and today she is indeed one of the best boxers on the international stage, or in this case, ‘ring’. Her exemplary courage and stamina are proof of the fact that the strength of your dreams has to be greater than the strength of your challenges.
She neither had boxing shoes worth millions nor access to the best coaches in the world, yet she is today one of the leading names. This is precisely why Mary Kom will always be one of the most notable female figures in India to draw inspiration from. She has shown us the path not only as a sportsperson but even as a fearless human being.
Achievements of Mary Kom
It is not easy to list down the achievement of this phenomenal Indian sports personality for her achievement is unparalleled. But here is an attempt to make a slit of some of the feats that she has achieved in her career as well as a few notes on the wards that have been conferred upon her by the Indian government in recognition of her excellent performance in her field.
But in case you are interested to know more, do get yourself a copy of Mary Kom’s biography which is one of the most essential sources of knowledge on her.
Here are some of the most notable Mary Kom’s achievements of the celebrated sporting personalities in India, Mary Kom:
1. Mary Kom became the very first woman in history to become a world boxing champion six times.
- First position in 2002 in the Antalya tournament
- First position in the 2005 Podolsk championship
- The first position in New Delhi championship in 2006
- First position in the 2008 Ningbo city boxing championship
- 2010 Bridgetown championship
- 2018 New Delhi boxing tournament
2. Mary Kom was the first boxer in India to be conferred with the prestigious Padma Bhushan award in 2013.
3. The Padma Bhushan award is India’s third-highest civilian award. Before that Mary Kom was also the recipient of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award for the year 2009, a prestigious award that is presented to eminent sporting personalities for excellence in their field of sports.
4. In 2003, Mary Kom received the Arjuna Award, which the Indian government presents to sporting personalities for outstanding performance. Three years later, in 2006, she received the Padma Shri award for her exceptional sports performance and for representing India successfully on international sporting platforms.
5. Recently, in the year 2020, Mary Kom was conferred with the Padma Vibhushan award, India’s second-highest civilian award.
6. In 2012, Mary Kom bagged the first Olympics medal in her career. She won a bronze medal and changed the international outlook towards India in boxing globally. She was also the first female boxer in Indian history to win a bronze medal at the Olympics. At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, she made her second appearance at the Tokyo Olympics.
7. Mary Kom has been presented with the title of Asian Queen because she was five times champion in the Asian boxing championship. Her wins at the Asian boxing competition are as follows:
- 2003 – Hisar
- 2005 – Kaohsiung
- 2010 – Astana
- 2012 – Ulaanbaatar
- 2017 – Ho Chi Minh City
Mary Kom’s achievements are exceptional and exemplary and can be read in Mary Kom’s biography. The struggles that she has faced and bravely overcame have won the hearts of millions of Indians. With her success story, she has challenged patriarchal thoughts and beliefs and has proven over and over that a woman can achieve the same feats. She has proven that talent, perseverance, and strength of marriage are all that is needed to perform and excel internationally and success in sports has nothing to do with gender. As an ode to her success, Bollywood adapted her life, struggles, and success into a film with Priyanka Chopra playing her role in the film. The film received much appreciation as well as was a box office success.
We need more like Mary Kom and we need more and more Indian women to believe that they become the next Mary Kom, proving Mary Kom’s biography is an inspiration to read.
