Mary Kom

   Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom, (born 1 March 1983), also known as MC Mary Kom, Magnificent Mary or simply Mary Kom, is an Indian boxer belonging to Kom tribal community of north-eastern state of Manipur.She is a five-time World Boxing champion, and the only woman boxer to have won a medal in each one of the six world championships. 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

   Mary Kom was born in Kangathei, in Churachanpur district of Manipur. Her parents, Mangte Tonpa Kom and Mangte Akham Kom, worked in jhum fields. She completed her primary education from Loktak Christian Model High School, Moirang, up to her class VI standard and attended St. Xavier Catholic School, Moirang, up to class VIII. She then moved to Adimjati High School, Imphal, for her schooling for class IX and X, but could not pass her exam. She did not want to reappear for her exams so she quit her school and gave her examination from NIOS, Imphal and graduation from Churachandpur College.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

   Kom initially tried to hide her interest in boxing from her family, since it was not considered a suitable sport for a woman. However, after her victory in the Manipur state women's boxing championship in 2000, her career became public; her father discovered his daughter's achievement through a photograph in a newspaper. After winning the regional championship in West Bengal, Kom began competing at the international level at the age of 18, only a year after she started boxing. Her international debut was at the first AIBA Women's World Boxing Championship in the United States, where she won a silver medal in the 48 kg weight category. She followed this with a gold medal in the 45 kg class at the second AIBA Women's World Boxing Championship in Turkey in 2002.

   In 2003, Kom won a gold medal in the 46 kg class - she would compete in this class for the next three years - at the Asian Women's Boxing Championship in India, and was awarded the national Arjuna Award for outstanding sporting achievement. In 2004, she won gold at the Women's Boxing World Cup in Norway, and in 2005 again won gold at the Asian Women's Boxing Championship in Taiwan and the AIBA Women's World Boxing Championship in Russia. The following year, she won gold at the Venus Women's Box Cup in Denmark and the AIBA Women's World Boxing Championship in India. Her victory in the World Championship was marred by illness; the final had to be suspended in the second round, with Kom leading 19-4.