"What's the point of all that I achieved?" wondered M C Mary Kom as she opened up to PTI about the "darkest phase" of her life, that included a painful divorce, near bankruptcy and a quiet emotional collapse.
The Manipuri Wonder Woman has won the World Boxing Championship five times. With her eyes set on the London Olympics, she is hoping for a grand finale.
Goalkeeper of the Indian women's hockey team Helen Mary played with a broken finger as India beat Japan in the final of the women's Asia Cup.
Mary Kom stormed into the quarter-final after beating Kazakhstan's Aigerim Kassenayeva in the second round of the 48kg category of the AIBA Women's World Championships, in New Delhi, Sunday.
Mary Kom has been named as the brand ambassador of the upcoming 10th edition of the International Boxing Association (AIBA) Women World Championship.
The legend of M C Mary Kom (48kg) grew larger as she added the Commonwealth Games gold to her packed medal cabinet, thrashing Northern Ireland's Kristina O'Hara in the final, in Gold Coast, on Saturday.
'You cannot choose your face but you can choose your dress.'
M C Mary Kom notched up her fifth gold medal at the Asian Women's Boxing Championships, winning a fiercely-contested summit clash in the 48kg category in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on Wednesday.
Laxmi Negi spends a day in training with India's boxing queen MC Mary Kom at the Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune.
The 35-year-old mother-of-three defeated China's Wu Yu 5-0 in the light flyweight (48kg) category quarterfinals to enter the last-four stage and be assured of at least a bronze.
A historic fifth successive World Championship gold medal under her belt but star Indian woman boxer M C Mary Kom remains hungry for more and will not consider hanging up her gloves before finishing on podium at the 2012 London Olympics.
Indian boxer M C Mary Kom (48kg) continued her march towards a fifth consecutive World Championship title by advancing to the quarter-finals with a thumping win over Australian Jenny Smith Bridgetown on Sunday.
Five-time world champion M C Mary Kom (51kg) would be India's lone flagbearer and a gold medal hope when women's boxing makes its historic Olympic debut in three weight categories on Sunday.
We've witnessed what the six-time World Champion can do in the ring with her gloves on, but what happens when you put her on stage and hand her the mic.
One of the most famous Indian faces on the planet, everything Priyanka Chopra Jonas learned, she learned it on the job.
Boxing champ Mary's secret to success lies in her unwavering dedication to boxing, and her belief that sports other than cricket are gaining recognition, slowly but surely.
India's star woman boxer M C Mary Kom settled for the bronze medal after losing her 51kg semifinal bout against Great Britain's world number two Nicola Adams, while Tintu Luka eased into the semifinals of the 800m race on Day 12 of the Olympic Games on Wednesday.
M C Mary Kom stormed into the quarter-finals of the women's boxing flyweight category (51 kg) at the Olympics, scoring a comfortable 19-14 victory over Poland's Karolina Michalczuk at the ExCel Arena on Sunday.
Following her qualification for the Olympics, India's ace boxer MC Mary Kom tells Rediff.com's Laxmi Negi she is confident of clinching a medal at the London Games.
She is over the moon after becoming the first Indian woman boxer to clinch an Olympic medal but bronze is not the colour for M C Mary Kom, who feels she could have finished higher on the podium had it not been for the "confusion" that gripped her during her semifinal bout.
India's five-time world champion M C Mary Kom said a podium finish in London would give her the freedom to leave the ring on a high.
Four-time champion and Khel Ratna awardee M C Mary Kom will spearhead the 10-woman strong Indian challenge in the sixth AIBA World Women's Boxing Championship to be held in Barbados next month.
Five-time world champion M C Mary Kom (51kg) and Kavita Goyat (75kg) assured India of at least two bronze medals in women's boxing by advancing to the semifinals with contrasting wins at the Asian Games, in Guangzhou on Monday.
'The foundation is grateful to both central and state government for establishment of these sports facilities after many years of struggle since its inception in 2006'
The IHF said the league is likely to start in September after the Athens Olympics.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated MC Mary Kom for winning a record sixth gold medal in the Women's World Championships on Saturday.
The legendary M C Mary Kom and former Asian Games gold-medallist Vikas Krishan shone bright at the International Boxing Association's 70th anniversary gala in Montreux, Switzerland, picking up different awards for their performances. While five-time world champion and Olympic bronze-medallist Mary Kom was presented the AIBA Legends award for her trailblazing boxing career, Vikas was handed the APB (AIBA Pro Boxing) Best Boxer trophy.
'I have defied critics who suggested that I should retire,' Magnificent Mary tells Rediff.com's Laxmi Negi.
Thoughts of retirement, even at 35, are like a pack of lies for champion boxer MC Mary Kom, who says she is far from relinquishing the queendom she has carved out for herself in all these years.
Five-time world champion and Olympic bronze-medallist Indian woman boxer M C Mary Kom has a new admirer in American legend Evander Holyfield, who says he follows her exploits and finds her achievements great.
Mary Kom lets it rip after winning trial bout against Nikhat Zareen
M C Mary Kom says she is a shade "nervous" heading into her ninth appearance at the showpiece, not because of the competition that awaits her but the overwhelming expectations at home.
Iconic Indian woman boxer M C Mary Kom added another honour to her list of accolades as she was named one of the eight ambassadors for the upcoming World Championships by the International Boxing Association (AIBA).
An Olympic quota place pocketed, Indian boxer Shiva Thapa (56kg) ended his campaign with a silver medal after losing in the final of the Asian/Oceania Qualifying Tournament Qian'an, China on Friday. The 22-year-old Assamese, who is a World Championship bronze-medallist, went down 0-3 to Thailand's Chatchai Butdee in the summit clash. Butdee is the reigning Asian champion. Shiva had booked his ticket to Rio de Janeiro by making the finals yesterday after beating Kazakhstan's Kairat Yeraliyev. Meanwhile, it was a heartbreak once again for L Devendro Singh (49kg), who missed a second opportunity to qualify for the Olympics. The Commonwealth silver-medallist, who lost in the semifinals a day prior, went down in the box-off for the Olympic slot on Friday.
She couldn't make the cut through qualifiers but star woman boxer M C Mary Kom's Olympic dream is not quite over yet as India has decided to seek a wildcard entry for her in the Games scheduled from August 5 this year. Mary Kom (51kg) had missed out on qualifying for the Olympics after bowing out in the second round of last month's World Championships -- the second and final qualifying tournament for women for the Games. The 33-year-old was required to make at least the semifinals to be assured of an Olympic berth in the mega-event in Astana, Kazakhstan. "She has been a phenomenal athlete and looking at her overall contribution to the sport, we have decided to request for a wildcard for her. However, her application will be among the many that the International Boxing Association (AIBA) will examine before taking a final decision," Chairman of the ad-hoc committee currently running boxing in India, Kishen Narsi, told PTI. Mary Kom, who is called 'Magnificent Mary' by AIBA, is a five-time world champion besides being a bronze-medallist from the London Olympics. The multiple-time Asian champion could not get an Olympic quota place in either of the two qualifying events for women boxers and is keeping her fingers crossed for a wildcard.
Sonia Lather (57kg) stood just one win away from ending India's six-year-old gold medal drought at the AIBA Women's World Boxing Championship as she advanced to final after outpunching Kazakhstan's Aizhan Khojabekova in the last-four stage in Astana, Kazakhstan on Thursday. The 24-year-old Sonia, who is a 2012 Asian Championships silver-medallist, defeated Khojabekova 3-0 to set up a clash with Italian Alessia Mesiano, who got the better of Bulgaria's Denitsa Eliseeva by a similar margin. The lone Indian left in the fray, Sonia was quick off the blocks against her rather sloppy rival. Combining right hooks with power-packed jabs, Sonia threw Khojabekova off balance on more than one occasion. Khojabekova was mostly clueless when it came to defending herself and her feeble attempts at attack were blocked or evaded effortlessly by the quick-thinking Haryana girl. In the end, it was hardly a surprise that judges ruled unanimously in Sonia's favour.
Mary Kom would look to go one step closer towards her sixth gold when she takes the ring in the 48kg semifinals, in New Delhi, on Thursday.
The six-time world record holder's fascinating journey has lessons for all.
A look at the few bright spots, the many worries, and moments that made for a distinctly indelible 2020.
Five-time world champion M C Mary Kom remained on course for a fifth gold medal at the Asian Boxing Championships after she advanced to the final of the event on Tuesday.
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