Maharashtra Board Class 10 English Kumarbharti Unit Three Chapter 3.5 Unbeatable Super Mom Mary Kom PDF Download

Unbeatable Super Mom - Mary Kom

Warming Up!

1. Discuss and find out the jobs which were done only by men in the past but nowadays women too have started doing them.

2. Complete the following web of India's winning medals in Olympics.

The web shows "Olympic Medal" in the center with "boxing" as one branch and "Abhinav Bindra" as another branch. Other branches are empty for students to complete.

About This Chapter

The text is about a famous female boxer, Mary Kom, who has brought laurels to our country by winning many national and international boxing championships. Make a list of famous men and women boxers across the world. You can take help of internet or your school library to get this information to complete the table.

Teacher's Note

Mary Kom is a famous Indian boxer from Manipur. She won medals in Olympic games and inspired many girls in India to play sports.

Exam Trick

Remember: Mary Kom = first Indian woman boxer to win Olympic medal. Just remember "Mary Kom = Bronze 2012 Olympics".

Points to Remember

Mary Kom is from Manipur state in India.
She was born on 24th November 1982.
She won a bronze medal in 2012 Olympics in boxing.
She is a five-time World Amateur Boxing Champion.
She is called "Magnificent Mary".

Mary Kom: Chungneijang Mary Kom

Chungneijang Mary Kom was born on 24th November, 1982. She is better known as Mary Kom. She is an Olympic Indian boxer. She comes from the Kom tribe in Manipur. She is a five time World Amateur Boxing Champion. She is the only woman boxer to have won a medal in each one of the six world championships.

She is nicknamed "Magnificent Mary". She is the only Indian woman boxer to have qualified for the summer 2012 Olympics. She competed in the flyweight (51 kg) category. She won the bronze medal.

There had to be one successful story if Indians were to survive in sports and we have that story now. Enough has been said about this great warrior who conquered the world. This warrior is none other than Mary Mangte Kom. People call her "the Komqueror" and "the Komrade". She is famed as a five times World Boxing Champion. She is the only boxer to win a medal in every one of the six world championships. In the 2012 Olympics, she became the first Indian woman boxer to qualify and win a bronze medal in the 51 kg flyweight category of Boxing.

Kom was born in Kangthei village, Moirang Lamkhai in Churachandpur district of rural Manipur in eastern India. She came from a poor family. Her parents, Mangte Tonpa Kom and Mangte Akham Kom were tenant farmers. They worked in jhum fields. Kom grew up in humble surroundings. She helped her parents with farm related chores. She went to school. She learned athletics initially and later boxing simultaneously. Her father was a keen wrestler in his younger age.

She had an eager interest in athletics since childhood. The success of Dingko Singh inspired her. Dingko Singh is a fellow Manipuri. He returned from the 1998 Bangkok Asian games with a gold medal. Kom recollects that his success had inspired many youngsters in Manipur to try boxing. She too thought of giving it a try.

Mary Kom's career started in 2000 after her victory in the Manipur State women's boxing championship. She also won the regional championship in West Bengal. In 2001, she started competing at international level. She was only 18 years old when she made her international debut. She competed at the first AIBA Women's World Boxing Championship in United States. She won a silver medal in the 48 kg weight category. Her greatness is reinforced by the way she apologized to the whole nation for not being able to win the Gold. She is a legend for sure and an idol for all the sportswomen to look up to.

Teacher's Note

Mary Kom grew up in a poor village in Manipur but became a world champion boxer. Like how a student studies hard to become a doctor, Mary Kom trained hard to become an Olympic boxer.

Exam Trick

Remember: Mary Kom started boxing in 2000 and made her international debut in 2001 at age 18. Write down "2000-2001-18" to remember these important dates.

Points to Remember

Mary Kom was born in Kangthei village in Manipur.
Her parents were tenant farmers who worked in jhum fields.
Dingko Singh's success inspired her to take up boxing.
She won her first Manipur State championship in 2000.
She made her international debut at age 18 in 2001.

An Interview With Mary Kom

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda correspondent Taruka Srivastava, Olympic Bronze medalist Mary Kom talked about her preparation for the Olympics. She also talked about her elation at winning a medal.

Interviewer: First things first - you're the first Indian female boxer to win an Olympics medal for India. Has the feeling completely sunk in?

Mary Kom: I am really happy with my achievement and yes it is yet to sink in. I am just so exhilarated.

Interviewer: You were the only female representative from India in boxing. Did that put additional pressure on you?

Mary Kom: No, not at all. I was pretty confident about myself. I knew.

Interviewer: Your coach Charles Atkinson was not allowed to accompany you to the Olympics. How did that affect your preparations?

Mary Kom: Well I did miss him there but thankfully, we had already done our homework and I was well prepared.

Interviewer: During your preparations for the Olympics, you sparred with the male boxers of the Indian contingent. Who was your favourite sparring partner?

Mary Kom: (Laughs) Well, I trained hard in Pune and the male boxers were kind enough to practise with me whenever I required them. To name a favourite would be unfair.

Interviewer: You were quoted saying "Adams was very clever, a counter-puncher but, although she carried power, she wasn't very tactical. I was scoring but the judges were not pressing the buttons." Do you think dodgy judging was part of the reason for your loss in the semi-finals?

Mary Kom: Yes, I think some of the decisions were unfortunate and did not work to my benefit.

Teacher's Note

Mary Kom trained hard with male boxers in Pune to prepare for the Olympics. Even though her coach could not go with her, she was well prepared like a student who studies well before taking an exam.

Exam Trick

Remember: Mary Kom trained in Pune and sparred with male boxers. When she lost, she said some judging was "dodgy" or unfair. Remember "Pune + dodgy judging = her loss".

Points to Remember

Mary Kom trained hard in Pune city for the Olympics.
She sparred with male boxers to prepare herself.
Her coach Charles Atkinson could not go to Olympics with her.
She lost in the semi-finals due to bad judging.
She was confident and not under pressure during the Olympics.

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