A sportswoman who has made India proud with her glorious achievements, Mary Kom is a boxer—the only Indian woman boxer who managed to qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics where she also won a Bronze Medal. A five-time world amateur boxing champion, she is surprisingly serene and philosophical about all her achievements. Named as Mangte Chungneijang at birth, she chose the name “Mary” as she entered the world of professional sports as it was easier to pronounce. Born into a poor family she began helping her parents by working in the fields while still very young. As a school girl she used to play a variety of sports—hockey, football, and athletics—but surprisingly not boxing! When the Manipuri boxer Dingko Singh won a gold at the Asian Games in 1998, the girl was inspired to take up boxing. Still taking up a sport considered “masculine” by social standards was no easy task for the young tribal girl. But Mary was not someone to be discouraged, and traveled to Imphal to train in athletics. Today her success is for all to see! Of course, there is more to Mary Kom than just professional success—she also teaches boxing to underprivileged youngsters for free.