Mary Kom, a 38-year-old mother from Manipur who won a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics, went down fighting to No.3 seed Ingrit Valencia of Colombia by a 3:2 split verdict. That brought to an end a glittering career that started at the turn of the century when Mary Kom, who took up boxing after being inspired by 1998 Bangkok Asian Games gold medalist Dingko Singh.

 

She has been called by various names. 'Magnificent Mary' and 'India's Ageless Wonder' are the most popular among them. She has had a biographical movie made on her life; she has won a bag full of medals and accolades -- eight world championship medals, an Olympic bronze medal, multiple national titles, AIBA Legends award, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna.

 

Mary Kom, however, has always been a boxer par excellence, a fighter who has battled many adversaries -- both in the ring and outside -- to triumph. On Thursday, her journey ended as she had announced that she would retire after the Tokyo Olympics. She wanted it to end on a glorious note, with another Olympic medal around her neck. But that was not to be.

 

So, it's time for us to celebrate Mary Kom's brilliant career and get inspired from it.