Mary Kom is an Indian Olympic boxer who has won the World Amateur Boxing Championship 6 times and was the first boxer of either gender to win 8 World Championships. She won a Bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics in the flyweight category and was the first Indian female boxer to win a Gold medal at the Asian Games (2014), a feat that she repeated at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. In April 2016, she was nominated as a member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament. The Government of India conferred on Mary the Padma Shri in 2006 and the Padma Bhushan in 2013, the 4th-highest and the 3rd-highest civilian awards respectively, of the Republic of India. In 2009, she was honored with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, the highest official sports honor of India.
Born Name
Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom
Nick Name
Mary Kom, Magnificent Mary, Meethoi Leima
Sun Sign
Pisces
Born Place
Kangathei Village, Moirang Lamkhai, Churachandpur, Manipur, India
Residence
Imphal, Manipur, India
Nationality
Education
Mary Kom attended the Loktak Christian Model High School in Moirang, Manipur till 6th grade and joined St. Xavier Catholic School in Moirang where she studied till 8th grade. She then moved to Adimjati High School in Imphal to continue her education but was unable to clear her matriculation exams.
She quit her school and eventually gave her examinations from NIOS (National Institute of Open Schooling), Imphal and ultimately completed her graduation from Churachandpur College.
Occupation
Boxer
Family
Father – Mangte Tonpa Kom (Tenant Farmer)
Mother – Mangte Akham Kom (Tenant Farmer)
Siblings – She has a younger sister and a younger brother.
Manager
She is represented by Infinity Optimal Solutions (IOS), Sports Management Agency, New Delhi, India.
Weight Class
Pinweight / Flyweight
Build
Athletic
Height
5 ft 2 in or 157.5 cm
Weight
50 kg or 110 lbs
Boyfriend / Spouse
Mary Kom has dated –
Karung Onkholer (Onler) (2000–Present) – Mary first met soccer player Karung Onkholer in 2000 when she was traveling to compete in the National Games. Karung was the President of a North-Eastern students’ body at that time and helped Mary with some logistics. After a few years of dating, they got married in 2005 and have 3 sons together – twins named Rechungvar Kom and Khupneivar Kom (b. 2007), and another boy named Prince Chungthanglen Kom (b. 2013). In 2018, the couple adopted a girl named Merilyn.
Race / Ethnicity
Asian (Indian)
She belongs to the Kom tribal community of the state of Manipur.
Hair Color
Black
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
Short Stature
Toned physique
Charming smile
Long, straight hair
Has a mole on her neck
Brand Endorsements
Mary has endorsed brands and organizations such as –
BSNL
Dalmia Bharat Cement
Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED)
Herbalife
HP
Nestle
Manpasand Beverages
Puma
CRI Pumps
She has appeared in the TV commercials for brands such as –
During her school days, Mary used to compete in javelin throwing, football, volleyball, and 400 meters running. It was the success of fellow Manipuri boxer Dingko Singh, who won a Gold medal at the 1998 Asian Games, that inspired her to make the switch from athletics to boxing.
She did not reveal her love for boxing to her father, an ex-wrestler, as her father felt that the sport would ruin her face and she would find it difficult to get married. He eventually came to know about it when he saw Mary’s photo in the newspaper after she won the state boxing championship in 2000.
Mary is the only female boxer who won a medal in each of the first 7 editions of the World Amateur Boxing Championships. She was also the first boxer to become the Asian Amateur Boxing Champion 5 times.
In October 2010, she was given the honor of bearing the Queen’s Baton during the opening ceremony of the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
In March 2017, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of India’s Central Government appointed Mary and fellow boxer Akhil Kumar as national observers for the sport of boxing.
The Government of Manipur, her native state, conferred on her the title Meethoi Leima (which loosely translates to ‘Exceptional Lady’) in 2018.
In October 2019, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) named Mary as one of boxing’s athlete ambassadors for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Her autobiography titled Unbreakable was published in 2013.
In January 2024, she was wrongly assumed to have retired from boxing.