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 the close eye of M. Narjit Singh, Manipur State Boxing Coach at Khuman Lampak,Imphal.
She is married to K. Onler Kom and has twin sons, Rechungvar and Khupneivar. They first met in 2001 when Kom was at New Delhi on her way to National Games in Punjab while Onler was studying at Delhi University. They married in 2005 after 4 years of dating. In 2013,she gave birth to her third baby boy and has named him Prince Chungthanglen Kom.
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. 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. She has also been ranked as No. 4 AIBA World Women's Ranking Flyweight category.
After a two-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 Vietnam.
In 2010, Kom won the gold medal at the Asian Women's Boxing Championship in Kazakhstanand 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 class, after AIBA had stopped using the 46 kg class.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,and in 2012 took the gold medal in the 51 kg class at the Asian Women's Boxing Championship in Mongolia.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 she did not compete, 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 shift 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 51 kg. 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 (to whom she would eventually lose in the semifinal of the London 2012 Olympic Games as well), making this 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 woman to qualify for boxing event, with Laishram Sarita Devi narrowly missing a place in the 60 kg class Kom was accompanied to London by her mother 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.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.In the quarter-final, the following day, she defeated Maroua Rahali of Tunisia with a score of 15-6 She faced Nicola Adams of UK in the semi-final on 8 August 2012 and lost the bout 6 points to 11. However, she stood third in the competition and garnered her first olympic Bronze medal. Manipur Government decided to award Rs 50 lakhs and two acres of land to Kom in the cabinet meeting held on 9 August 2012 she carried the Indian tricolour during the closing ceremony of the 2012 summer Olympics in London..
Awards and recognitions achieved by Mary Kom are as follows
- Padma Bhushan (Sports), 2013
- Arjuna Award (Boxing), 2003
- Padma Shree (Sports), 2010
- 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
- International Boxing Association's Ambassador for Women's Boxing 2009
- Sportswoman of the year 2010, Sahara Sports Award
The Asian Game is her first competition in two years and her first since her second cesarean operation. She is boxing in a higher weight category than the one in which she has boxed for most of her 12-year-career, so her opponents are often taller and heavier.
Mary Kom kicked off the proceedings in the ring for India for a second successive day and once again gave a perfect start, against Si Haijuan of China. Facing an opponent 10 years her junior, the five-time world champion Indian drew from her huge reservoir of experience to outwit the rather sprightly Chinese.
Sluggish to begin with, the Manipuri found her rhythm as the bout progressed, displaying precision in her punches. Particularly impressive in the second round, Mary seemed on course for a comfortable win but was taken by surprise in the third round, in which Haijuan tactfully blunted the Indian's attack. However, mere glimpses of promise were never going to be enough against the multiple-time Asian champion, whose well-timed combination punches hardly found any response from the Chinese in the fourth and final round.
In the end, Haijuan paid for her lack of experience against a seasoned campaigner, who was in control of the pace of the bout. Mary Kom will now be up against Vietnam's Le Thi Bang in the semi-final.
India's best medal hope and former five-time world champion M C Mary Kom scored a convincing 3-0 victory over her taller Vietnamese opponent Ler Thi Bang. Two of the ringside judges adjudged her the winner by giving her 40-36 score in the four rounds combined while the third put her 39-37 ahead on points.
Mary was a clear winner even though she was the shorter of the two southpaws, she easily came inside the Vietnamese boxer's territory to score with jabs and rights to the face.
Mary, who won a bronze in the 2010 Asian Games and the 2012 Olympic Games before taking a break from the sport, is now assured of at least a silver medal.
She will now fight against Zhaina Shekerbekova of Kazakhstan who earned a 3-0 verdict over N Myagmardulam of Mongolia in the other semifinal bout.
"I will keep my focus because a gold has to be won for my country," she said. She will be fighting tomorrow again for final.
Cheers and best of luck!
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