Aiming for personal best Mary Kom - The Unbreakable Days of struggle - Mary Kom was born in 1983 in a poor family in Kangathei, Manipur. Her parents worked in jhum fields. Her family background speaks a lot of how Mary overcame hardship and inconveniences and created a name for herself in the arena of world boxing. - She completed her primary education in Moirang up to class VIII and then moved to Imphal for her schooling for till 10th standard. She graduated from Manipur. - Being the eldest, Mary helped her parents work in the fields, cutting woods, making charcoal and fishing. On the other hand, she spent a good time looking after her two younger sisters and a brother. Interest in sports - Mary Kom was interested in sports since her childhood, with a keen interest in Athletics. Mary thought that she would carve a name for herself in the athletics. But fate decided otherwise. She took to sports in an effort to provide some financial support to her family. She was initially an all-round athlete with 400-m and javelin being her pet events. - It was the success of Dingko Singh that inspired her to become a boxer. The rise of Dingko Singh and the demonstration of women boxers at the 5th National Games (Manipur) inspired her. When Dingko Singh returned from Bangkok (Asian Games) with a gold, she thought to should give it a try. Dingko’s success triggered a revolution of sort in Manipur and surprisingly she found that she was not the only girl who was drawn into boxing. Boxing-A taboo for women - She began boxing in 2000 and was a quick learner who preferred to be put through the same paces as the boys around her. In just two weeks, she had learnt all the basics. She had god-given talent for boxing. - Mary had tried to hide her interest in boxing from her family, since it was not considered as a sport for them. Her father scolded her when a photo of her winning the state boxing championship came in the newspaper. This, however, did not deter her from pursuing a career in boxing. - She was castigated by her father who said with a battered and bruised face, he was furious that she took to boxing – a taboo for women – and he did not have the slightest idea about it. But her passion for the sport had only got better, credit to her cousins who convinced her father eventually giving his nod. - Mary Kom decided to enter into the ring with determination and strong will. To pursue her dream, she joined Sports Authority of India and underwent an intensive training from coach and mentor, Mr.Ibomcha Singh. Mary’s rise as a Boxer - At a tender age of 18, Mary made her debut at the first Women World Boxing Championship, after just one year of starting to learn boxing, which was held at Pennsylvania, USA. At her debut event itself, she won a silver medal in the 46 kg weight category. A year later, she went on to win the gold at the second Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur (AIBA) World Women’s Senior Boxing Championship. held at Antalya, Turkey. - Mary Kom is a mother of twin sons. In 2008, she came back from a two-year maternity break to clinch her fourth boxing gold in World Championships. That instantly won her the name “Magnificent Mary”. - Mary Kom fought Asian champion Kim Myong Sim in the title bout at the Asian Cup women’s boxing tournament in Haikou, China, even when her four year son was operated for heart problems cheered for her from his hospital bed in Chandigarh. Success speaks for itself - Mary Kom is a five time successive World Boxing champion, a biennial amateur boxing competition organised by the International Boxing Association (AIBA). - She is the only woman boxer to have won a medal in each one of the six World Championships. She has more than three Asian titles and eleven National titles under her belt. - She is a recipient of the Arjuna Award, the Padma Shri Award, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award and a special award from AIBA. - Mary Kom created history by becoming first person from north east to win bronze medal in Olympics 2012. Mary Kom has overcome gender bias, poverty, the limitations of coming from small region. She is an inspiration not only for the North-Eastern people but also for women who endure hardships on a daily basis. The most ORDINARY people achieve the EXTRAORDINARY…The things that makes them EXTRAORDINARY is the recognition of their own POTENTIAL and a PASSION to do their PERSONAL BEST.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Feb 2014 05:15:12 +0000
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