16 Lesser Known & Inspiring Mary Kom Facts

How many Mary Kom facts do you know 5, 10 or maybe more? Though she is one of the finest athlete India has produced but very few people know so much about her. She has won multiple medals and national awards. There was a movie about her life and Priyanka Chopra portrayed her beautifully.

Mary Kom was born on 1st March 1983 in Kangathei. She started showing interest in boxing from a young age. At the age of 17, she won her first medal in boxing and her parents got to know about it through the newspaper.

Mary is an inspiration to so many people around the world and especially girls. You don’t need to be bound by the norms of society. One should follow her passion and always reach for the stars.

In the post, we have put together 16 lesser-known & inspiring Mary Kom facts that you might not know.

16 Lesser-Known & Inspiring Mary Kom Facts

The full name of Mary Kom is Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom.

Mary Kom was born in Kangathei, Manipur, India on 1 March 1983.

Her parents are Mangte Tonpa Kom and Mangte Akham Kom. Initially, they weren’t supportive of her choice to become a professional boxer. Now they are proudest parents.

She is married to K Onler Kom. The couple has three boys together.

She completed her graduation from Churachandpur College.

As boxing for women was not a suitable sport, she tried to hide her interest from her family.

Her family came to know it through a newspaper when she won the Manipur state boxing championship in 2000.

She started boxing at the international level only at the age of 18. She won 5 gold medals and one silver medal in Women’s World Amateur Boxing Championships.

Mary had to gain weight for the Olympics as there were only three categories. In 2012 Olympic she fought under 51 kg category and won the bronze medal.

At an interview she apologies to the people for not winning the gold medal.

For her tremendous performance, she has won many awards and accolades. She won Arjuna Award, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shree awards in 2003, 2013 and 2006.

She is also called “Magnificent Mary” for her performance.

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Mary was interested in athletics right from her childhood, but the success of Dingko Singh changed her mind to take up boxing.

Mary won her first silver medal in her debut tournament in the 46 Kg category at Pennsylvania, USA.

She went on to win a gold medal at the second AIBA World Women’s Senior Boxing championship in Turkey the next year.

Mary Kom was the only Indian boxer to qualify for the 2012 Olympics in London. She won the bronze medal in the flyweight (51 Kg) category.

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Her autobiography Unbreakable was released in December 2013. It is one of the popular books in the category and has over 2 million downloads in Kindle eBooks

The only woman to become World Amateur Boxing champion for a record six times, and the only woman boxer to win a medal in each one of the seven world championships.

This is one of the most fascinating fact about Mary Kom.

Has been a supporter of animal rights and campaigns for their welfare

So here you have it guys, some fo the most awesome facts about Mary Kom. Do you know any other interesting facts about her. Do let us know in the comment section below.