Mary Kom

Mary Kom (born Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom, 24 November 1982) is an Indian boxer and one of the most decorated athletes in Indian sports history. She is a six-time World Amateur Boxing Champion and the only female boxer to win a medal in each of the first seven World Championships. She won an Olympic bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics, becoming the first Indian woman boxer to do so. Born in Kangathei village, Manipur, Mary Kom comes from a poor farming family of the Kom tribal community. She was inspired to take up boxing after watching a local boxer's success on television. She began training in 2000 at the age of 18 and within two years won her first national championship. Mary Kom's boxing career has been nothing short of extraordinary. She has won six gold medals at the World Amateur Boxing Championships (2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2018), making her the most successful female boxer in the history of the tournament. She won bronze at the 2012 London Olympics in the 51kg category, and reached the quarterfinals at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Her story has inspired millions, particularly women from rural India. A 2014 Bollywood biopic "Mary Kom" starring Priyanka Chopra brought her story to mainstream audiences. She was elected to the Rajya Sabha (upper house of Indian Parliament) in 2016 and served as a member until 2020. She also served as a boxer and boxing coach in the Indian Railways. Despite facing criticism for competing in age-defying categories and controversies with other Indian boxers, Mary Kom remains one of India's most inspirational sports figures. Her journey from a remote village in Manipur to the Olympic podium is a testament to determination and the power of sport to transform lives.