Indians Who Brought Glory To The Country At Olympics 2012

Mary Kom:

India's M.C. Mary Kom made history by becoming the country's first woman boxer to win a medal at the Olympics when she finished with a bronze in the 51kg event at the London Games. Losing 6-11, Kom became only the second Indian boxer after Vijender Singh to win an Olympic medal. Vijender got a bronze in Beijing four years ago.

She lost to Great Britain's Nicola Adams in a high-voltage semi-final. The 29-year-old Kom, a five-time world champion, fought gallantly but was out punched by a clearly superior rival Adams, who created a comfortable 11-6 victory much to the dismay of a sizeable Indian crowd who swarmed the stadium to support the Indian.

Mary Kom's journey to the top of women's world boxing has been a tough one. With all she has done for the sport, very few people have acknowledged her feats. Motivated by famous Manipuri boxer Dingko Singh, an Asian Games gold medalist, Mary Kom gave up books for boxing gloves. But she had to hide her interests from her family. All that changed after her success in the Manipur state women's boxing championship in 2000.

(With agency inputs)