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| Nationality | India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 1 March 1983 Kangathei, CCpur Subdiv, Manipur, India |
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| Height | 158.49 cm (5 ft 2.40 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 54 kilograms (120 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Boxing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rated at | Flyweight | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Mangte Chungneijang Merykom, also known as MC Mary Kom or Mary Kom, is a female boxer from Manipur, India who is supported by Olympic Gold Quest.[1] Mary Kom, a mother of two, is five times World Boxing Champion, successively. She came back from a two-year sabbatical to clinch her fourth successive World Amateur boxing gold in 2008, a feat that prompted the AIBA to describe her as 'Magnificent Mary'.[2] She was earlier an athlete and switched to boxing after the success of fellow Manipur boxer Dingko Singh.[3][4]
Recently, Mary Kom Won Fifth Consecutive World Boxing Championship Title. Mary Kom Won World Boxing Championship Title in Bridgetown, Barbados on Saturday, Sep 18, 2010 in Bridgetown. This is the fifth consecutive win for Mary Kom in World Boxing Championship Title. Mary Kom defeated Romanian opponent Duta Seluta 16-6
Mary Kom had won four title of World Boxing Championship in the 46 kg category but this time Mary Kom won in the 48 kg category. In semifinal Mary Kom had defeated Filipino opponent Alice Appari 8-1.
Mary Kom is the only boxer to have won a medal in each one of the six World Championships.
On 3 October 2010, she had the honour of bearing the Queen's Baton in its Opening Ceremony run in the stadium for the 2010 Commonwealth Games of Delhi.[5][6]
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Mary Kom took to sports in an effort to provide some financial support to her family. "I was initially an all-round athlete, and 400-m and javelin were my pet events. When Dingko Singh returned from Bangkok (Asian Games) with a gold, I thought I should give it a try. Dingko's success triggered a revolution of sort in Manipur and surprisingly I found that I was not the only girl who was drawn into boxing," she said.
She began boxing in 2000 and was a quick learner who preferred to be put through the same paces as the boys around her. She initially tried to keep her interest from her father, M. Tonpu Kom, and mother Saneikham Kom, but winning a 2000 state championship got her photograph in the newspaper.
After winning her first title and Best Boxer at the First State Level Invitation women's boxing championship in Manipur in 2000, Mary Kom went on to win the gold in the Seventh East India Women’s Boxing Championship held in West Bengal and five subsequent Indian National Championships from 2000 to 2005.
She also embarked on an international campaign that has brought her a series of gold medals and honors.
On her way by train to the selection camp for her first Asian Women’s Boxing Championships in Bangkok, she had all her luggage and her passport stolen. Her parents asked her to come home but she carried on her course.
On November 22, 2003 in the 46-kg finals of the Asian Women's Championships at Mahabir Stadium in Hisar, India, she defeated Chou Szu Yin of Chinese Taipei by RSCO-2. She had previously defeated L. G. Chandrika of Sri Lanka also by RSCO-2.
MARY KOM's "international gold rush" finally began with the Second Asian Women's Championship in Hissar and continued with a win in the Third Asian Women's Championship, held in Taiwan.
In her first AIBA World Women's Boxing Championship in Scranton, USA in 2001, the 18-year-old Mary Kom had to settle for silver, losing to Hulya Sahin of Turkey by 13-5 in the 48-kg final after defeating Jamie Behl of Canada by 21-9 in the semi-final and Nadia Hockmi of Poland by RSCO-3 in the quarter-final. "She was leading in the first round but her opponent managed to score points in the final round," coach Anoop Kumar said of Mary Kom's performance in the final.
The next year, she struck gold at the Second AIBA World Women’s Senior Boxing Championship held from October 21–27, 2002 in Antalya, Turkey, winning the 45-kg division by defeating Svetlana Miroshnichenko of the Ukraine in her semi-final and Jang Song-Ae of North Korea in the final
Her once-skeptical father accompanied his trail-blazing daughter to the ceremony in 2003 at which she was the first woman ever to receive India's prestigious Arjuna award for her achievement in boxing.
She also took gold in the 46-kg division of the Women's World Boxing Tournament in Tønsberg, Norway from 27 April to 2 May 2004, defeating Derya Aktop of Turkey by RSCO-2 in the semi-final and Xia Li of China by RSCO-2 in the final.
She was also the Witch Cup Tournament champion in Hungary in 2004.
At the August 2004 Asian Women's Boxing Championships in Taiwan she defeated Gretchen Abaniel of the Philippines 35-11 in the 46-kg final.
She successfully defended her 46-kg world title at the Third AIBA Women's World Championships held from 25 September to 2 October 2005 in Podolsk, Russia. She won the final by a 28-13 score over Jong Ok of North Korea, who had reached the finals with a 22-20 decision over Gretchen Abaniel of the Philippines. Kom had defeated Elena Sabitova of Russia 31-16 in her semi-final and Nancy Fortin of Canada 30-13 in her preliminary. While she saw her repeat win as great progress, she expressed admiration for the Russians, who won the team event.
On 19–22 October 2006 at the Venus Box Cup in Vejle, Denmark, Mary Kom won by RSCO-2 over Sofie Molholr of Denmark in the 46-kg semi-final and defeated Steluta Duta of Romania by retirement in the third round. Duta had defeated Valeria Calabrese of Italy RSCI-2 to reach the final and had also won the 46-kg division of the Ahmet Comert Tournament in 2006 with a RSCO-2 over Derya Aktop of Turkey (Merykom did not compete in that tournament.)
On 23 November 2006 at the AIBA World Championships at Talkatora Indoor Stadium in New Delhi, India Mary Kom again won the 46-kg division - this time with a 22-7 decision over her Venus Box Cup final opponent Steluta Duta of Romania. Mary Kom kept the Romanian on the defensive for most of the bout, then celebrated her win with a demonstration of Manipuri folk dance in the ring. Duta reached the final with a RSCO-2 win over Boranbayeva Zalgul of Kazakhstan in the semi.
In New Delhi, Mary Kom had previously defeated Jong Ok of North Korea 20-8 in the semi-final, and Chandrike Geruga of Sri Lanka by RSCO-2 in the quarter-final after a bye in the preliminary round. She began the tournament with a cough and fever (and was unable to take any medication because of the doping test) but she still performed well enough to lead Chandrike Geruga 13-3 after one round, and the bout was stopped in the second with Mary Kom ahead 19-4.
On August 29, 2009 she was selected for the India's highest sporting honour, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award alongside boxer Vijender Singh and wrestler Sushil Kumar.[12]