Pakistan's first female CWG boxing medallist credits Mary Kom for inspiring her
Fatima Zahra, Pakistan's first female Commonwealth Games boxing medallist, credits Indian boxing legend Mary Kom as her primary inspiration. Despite facing significant family and social opposition, Zahra pursued the sport after watching a film about Kom's life.
Why it matters
The story illustrates the power of cross-border cultural influence and the role of sports in overcoming social barriers for women in South Asia.
Growing up in Pakistan's Punjab province, Fatima Zahra had few female boxing role models in her own country. She found one across the border in India's MC Mary Kom, whose journey inspired her to take up the sport and eventually become Pakistan's first female Commonwealth Games boxing medallist.The 22-year-old from Sargodha in Pakistan's Punjab province won a bronze medal in the women's 60kg event at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, becoming the first Pakistani woman boxer to stand on a Commonwealth Games podium.After her medal-winning campaign, Fatima said the person who inspired her to take up boxing was India's six-time world champion Mary Kom."I am inspired by India's Mary Kom," Fatima told news agency PTI after securing her bronze medal.Born into a poor farming family, Mary Kom overcame financial hardship, social resistance and limited resources to become one of the most successful boxers in history.
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