Supermom in the ring

She may play and win at a tough sport but Marykom,the most successful woman in amateur boxing history with four World Championship titles,hasnt let go of her softer side. Her favourite films are mushy Maine Pyaar Kiya,romantic DDLJ and chocolate hero Aamir Khans late 80s,early 90s capers. She also has a thing for pretty bags and trendy Western wear.

But on to the start of the promised story now. Marykom was a teenager when Laila Alis professional bout aired on TV in the late 1990s and another Manipuri legend Dingko Singh won the Asian Games boxing gold 1998,Bangkok. Both were inspiration enough for her to shift from athletics to boxing. Her father objected. It took a lot of convincing that I wasnt getting into professional boxing,which was dangerous. We needed to tell him that boxing had rules and regulations which were followed, she says of the struggle which started at home a decade ago.

Once convinced,he demanded absolute commitment from her. My father was also the first to tell me that once Id started I shouldnt approach boxing as time-pass,and not drift from one sport to another, she says. It didnt help that she was petite,barely touching 5 feet,and looked almost fragile. She rested her doubts by sparring straight with men a regimen to which she owes her speed and stamina till date.

From then on,it was a struggle most women would relate to. Marykom obsessed now while watching her weight. But it wasnt the Size Zero bragging rights that she was aiming at. She needed to keep her weight at 46 kg if she were to stay in the minimum weight category. Marykom had returned without a medal from her first Asian championship in Bangkok in 2001 where she fought in the higher 48 kg class. On the teams return,fellow boxers Jenny and Saritha Devi were felicitated at the airport while she dawdled at the rear of the contingent and slipped into the crowd. Oblivion stung.

India assistant coach Chandra Lal,who recalls that evening vividly,says,She definitely felt bad. Like a true champion boxer,Mary Marykom keeps grudges and is fiercely competitive and uses that rivalry positively to improve her performance. At the following World Championships,she won a silver and was Indias sole medallist. But she wasnt content and opted to drop down to 46 kg. Once I moved down,the 46 kg was a constant stop-watch in my head, she says.

Marykom clinched her first world title at the next edition of the championships in Turkey. With titles at the next three editions,05 Russia,06 India and 08 China,she steadied her weight and showed breathless consistency to go past Italian flyweight Simona Galassi to become the most successful player in womens amateur boxing history with four titles.
Marykom was also now a global icon. Many who started with her in the 46 kg had moved up to as high as 64 kg,as they couldnt keep their weight in check,while Mary showed ascetic discipline to stay in shape.

Yet,she remained restive as first a worthy job till Manipur Police offered her employment and later sponsorships eluded her. Womens boxing was neither an Olympic sport,nor could it compare in popular standing with cricket. The Khel Ratna-miss last year would have hurt too when she was dropped from the honours list on the last day,edged out by cricket captain M.S. Dhoni.

But between that miss and this years award,she was to compete last year at perhaps the most important world championshipsat Ningbo City,China. Marykom gave birth to her twins in August,2007. Within a year,she had returned to training. The comeback wasnt a smooth one. She lost her final bout at the Asian meet in Guwahati in September,2008. Someone rather gracelessly hinted it was time she turned full-time mom and hung up her gloves. It was very difficult after my Caesarean delivery and till I could resume my entire workouts,I relied on experience to fight. I had lots of support from family,but most of all I had the will power to deal with the tremendous strain on the body, she says. That was the toughest time of her career.

Lal remembers how shed train with a belt strapped to her abdomen and how she stopped bringing the twins to the practice venues altogether. It was heartbreaking to tell Mary to not bring the babies along. The first time her mother was around,but it would still distract her concentration. But she understood and from the next camp was absolutely focused on training, he says.
The boxing world was watching her every step. Her Romanian arch-rival Steluta Duta kept enquiring about Marykoms return plans after child-birth and had,frankly,sulked when she turned up at Ningbo City,in late 2008 and drubbed her 7-1 for her fourth world title.

Like in her work ethic in the ring,so in her life outside,Marykom is unwilling to settle for anything less than what she wishes. She wants the best shoes in training,and takes extra care of her personal dressing,and is very well turned out always. And shes ready to spend for it, Lal says. Another of her obstinacies is her love for pork. She loves eating pork,and you dont get it everywhere. But shell always rope me in and well go find the best place wherever we are training, he says with a laugh.

The Khel Ratna can be called a culmination of her achievements,but its certainly not her ultimate destination. My husband Onlar Marykom says I have to continue and achieve bigger things for India. Im doing something thats unique to Indian sport: continuing after child-birth at the highest level. And Im determined to remain a big example for other women to prove marriage and children dont mean an end to a career, she says.
Whatever the future holds,Marykomll take it with a song on her lips. On days that bring happy tidings,she might even hum a Lata Mangeshkar number.