Manipur boxing champ has big dreams for her students Imphal: Her’s has been a dream run most athletes can only hope for, but MC Marykom is a name unfamiliar to most Indians. This World Champion lives in a small village on the outskirts of Imphal. And she has battled poverty and lack of proper infrastructure to become a world-class boxer. But after dominating the boxing ring for years, Marykom sometimes feels that there are not many takers for her achievements. “I have performed for India but I got only two sponsors for other games. I actually should have got more. Nobody knows about this. I feel very sad thinking about this sometimes because I have done so much but the people of the company didn’t sponsor me and don’t even recognise me,” says Marykom. Even though she is seven months pregnant, Marykom is out in the field every morning training young aspiring boxers from nearby villages.
She also takes care of their diet and provides them the training kits, all at her own expense. Though the training facilities are very basic, she has big dreams for her young boxers. She hopes to start a full-fledged training academy some day. “The truth is that I am not satisfied right now as I aim win medals in the Commonwealth, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. I was world champion for three times and I am not very satisfied,” says Marykom. Medals won by Marykom; Turkey 2002 - Gold Medal at the 2nd World women's boxing championships. Austria 2005 - Gold Medal at the 3rd World women's boxing championships. Delhi 2006 – Gold Medal at the 4th World women's boxing championships. So like a true champion, Marykom will not rest until she and her boxers become a force Indians can no longer ignore in the world of sports.