#2 MC Mary Kom
From humble beginnings in Manipur to winning a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics, MC Mary Kom is an inspiration to sportspersons and more importantly, Indian women. Hailing from a socio-economically underdeveloped region did not deter her from becoming a world beater.
Mary Kom is the only woman boxer across nations to win medals in each of six world amateur boxing championships. Her skills earned her the distinction of becoming India’s first woman boxer to win a gold medal at the 2014 Asian Games. The ace Indian pugilist has confirmed that she will retire after the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Mary Kom is a mother to twin sons. She founded the Mary Kom Regional Boxing Foundation in Langol, Imphal to nurture promising young boxers from financially weak backgrounds. Mary Kom is a recipient of the Padma Bhushan and Padma Shree, India’s third and fourth-highest civilian honours. She has also won the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and the Arjuna Awards, the highest sporting awards in the country.
