Mary Kom
Mangte Chungneijang "Mary" Kom popularly known as Mary Kom, is an Indian boxer and a politician, and is also a former Member of the Rajya Sabha. She is a very accomplished and successful amateur boxer in India, and is quite well-known for her success in international women's boxing events. Mary Kom has won the World Women's Boxing Championship a record number of six times. She has won medals at various international tournaments and won bronze medals at the 2012 Summer Olympics. She has also won gold medals in the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games. With the nickname Magnificent Mary, she has been honored with several prestigious awards, including the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, and Padma Vibhushan.
| |
| Mary Kom | |
| Born | 24 November 1982 (age 43) Kagathei village, Moirang Lamkhai, Manipur, India |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Indian |
| Education | Churachandpur College; National Institute of Open Schooling |
| Occupation | Boxer, Politician |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Known for | Six-time World Women's Boxing Champion, 2012 Olympic bronze medalist |
| Notable works | Unbreakable, Mary Kom, With This Ring, Bigg Boss 20 |
| Awards | Padma Shri, Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, Arjuna Award |
| Parents | |
| Religion | Hinduism |
Early Life & Education
Mangte Chungneijang "Mary" Kom was born on 24 November 1982 in Kagathei village, Moirang Lamkhai, Manipur, India. She comes from a poor family. Both her parents, Mangte Tonpa Kom and Mangte Akham Kom, were tenant farmers.
Mary Kom was the eldest of three children. She helped her parents in their farm work, along with attending school and participating in sporting activities.
She had received education at Loktak Christian Model High School, located in Moirang. She had also attended St. Xavier Catholic School. Mary Kom had been very fond of sports and used to participate in the games such as javelin throw and 400-metre running.
Upon completion of her schooling until Class 8, she attended Adimjati High School in Imphal. She furthered her studies with National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS). She attained graduation from Churachandpur College.
Mary Kom developed interest in boxing on account of the success achieved by her fellow Manipuri boxer named Dingko Singh in the 1998 Asian Games. She had undergone boxing training since 2000 under the guidance of her first coach named K. Kosana Meitei. Further, she trained under M. Narjit Singh.
Career
Mary Kom started her boxing career in the year 2000. She won her first state-level championship in boxing in the same year and then soon started participating in national as well as international tournaments.
In the year 2001, she won the silver medal in AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships. The following year in 2002, she won her first gold medal in World Championship in the category of 45 kg.
In 2008, after a short break during which she had twins, Mary Kom came back to boxing, and won the silver medal in the Asian Women's Boxing Championship. That same year she also managed to win her fourth gold medal in the World Championship.
In 2010, Mary Kom won her fifth gold medal in a row in the World Championship. She also managed to win a bronze medal in the 2010 Asian Games.
Mary Kom moved to the 51 kg weight division due to changes in women's boxing weight divisions.
Olympic Career
In 2012 Mary Kom qualified for the Summer Olympics in London. She became the only woman from India who was qualified for the boxing tournament in those Olympics.
Mary Kom won against Karolina Michalczuk from Poland and Maroua Rahali from Tunisia, but lost in the semi-final to Nicola Adams from Great Britain.
Mary Kom won the bronze medal in the 51 kg division and became India's first woman boxer who won an Olympic medal.
Major International Career
Mary Kom earned a gold medal in the Asian Games held in Incheon, South Korea in 2014. She became the first Indian woman boxer to win a gold medal in the Asian Games. She won another gold medal in the Asian Women's Boxing Championship in 2017.
Mary Kom earned the women's light flyweight gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in 2018 and her sixth World Boxing Championship gold medal in New Delhi.
Mary Kom won a bronze medal at the World Boxing Championships in 2019 and became one of the most successful boxers in World Championships.
She participated in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and also continued participating in the international boxing tournaments like the 2021 Asian Boxing Championships.
Political Career
Mary Kom was nominated as a member of the Rajya Sabha, which is the upper house of the Parliament of India on 25 April 2016.
In 2017, Mary Kom, along with boxer Akhil Kumar, was appointed as a national observer for boxing by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
In 2026, Mary Kom appeared as a participant on the twentieth season of the Indian reality television show Bigg Boss 20, hosted by Salman Khan. Her participation marked a new phase in her public career, bringing her sporting journey and personal story to a wider television audience.[1][2][3]
Notable Works
The autobiography of Mary Kom, Unbreakable was written in 2013, co-written by Dina Serto. The book highlights her childhood, her difficulties, boxing career, and success story.
The life and boxing career of Mary Kom were portrayed in the Hindi biographical film Mary Kom (film). The film was released in 2014 and Priyanka Chopra played the role of Mary Kom in it.
Mary Kom has also appeared in the documentary film With This Ring in 2016 which talked about Indian women's boxing team and their success story in the international boxing circuit.
Achievements and Recognition
Mary Kom is one of the most successful amateur boxers of India. She is the only female boxer who has won the World Amateur Boxing Championship six times.
She is also the only female boxer who has won a medal at every first seven World Championships. Also, she is the only boxer to win eight medals at the World Championship.
Her major achievements include:
| No. | Achievement / Recognition | Year | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | World Women's Boxing Championship | — | Six-time World Champion |
| 2 | World Championship Medals | — | Won medals at each of the first seven World Championships and eight World Championship medals overall |
| 3 | 2012 Summer Olympics | 2012 | Bronze medalist |
| 4 | Asian Games | 2014 | Gold medalist |
| 5 | Commonwealth Games | 2018 | Gold medalist |
| 6 | Asian Women's Boxing Championship | — | Six-time Asian Champion |
| 7 | International Boxing Championships | — | Multiple Asian Championship and international gold medals |
| 8 | World Ranking | — | Former world No. 1 female light-flyweight boxer |
National Awards
| No. | Award / Honour | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arjuna Award | 2003 |
| 2 | Padma Shri | 2006 |
| 3 | Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award | 2009 |
| 4 | Padma Bhushan | 2013 |
| 5 | Padma Vibhushan | 2020 |
Other Honours
| No. | Honour | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | AIBA Legends Award | International recognition for her contribution to boxing |
| 2 | Meethoi Leima | Title conferred by the Government of Manipur |
Mary Kom has also been honoured with many other sports awards, which include the AIBA Legends Award and the Meethoi Leima name conferred on her by the Government of Manipur.
Personal Life
Mary Kom got married to the footballer, Karung Onkholer or better known as Onler in 2005. They have three children, including twins born in 2007. In 2018, Mary Kom adopted a girl child, Merilyn along with her husband. The divorce between Mary Kom and Onler took place in December 2023.
External Links
- [ Instagram]
- [IMDB]
- [X]
- [Facebook]
See also
References
- ↑ Bigg Boss 20 Full Contestants List: Mary Kom, Isha Rikhi, Mahhi Vij, Rhiya Ahir and More . In News18 . Retrieved 6 September 2026
- ↑ Names of Contestants Making Headlines Even Before the Start of Bigg Boss 20: Who Will Be Seen in the Bigg Boss House This Season? . In Prahaar (5 September 2026) . Retrieved 6 September 2026
- ↑ Bigg Boss 20 Full List of 18 Reported Contestants . In TMINS News . Retrieved 6 September 2026