Mary Kom And Onler Kom: Redefining What A Successful Relationship Means

Mary Kom And Onler Kom: Pugilist MC Mary Kom makes striking a perfect balance between parenthood and a successful sporting career look so easy. However, any woman who is juggling multiple roles will tell you that it not that easy. You need a rock and anchor to fall back on and she found this in her husband Onler Kom. Today they are celebrating 16 years of togetherness.

In a patriarchal society like India’s, it is not easy for a man to be proud of a wife who is more successful than him. That is where Onler and Mary’s relationship has been trendsetting. Together they have twin boys born in 2007 and a younger son who was born in 2013.

In a recent Instagram chat with cricketer Virat Kohli she acknowledged her husband’s support by saying, “After my marriage, my husband has been a pillar of my strength. The support he gives me is immense. He takes care of everything that I can ask for, he is the ideal husband and father.”

Onler has been by the side of his Olympic bronze medalist wife raising their three children. He was the president of the North-East student's body in Delhi when he first met Mary Kom at Nehru Stadium. She had just lost all her worldly possessions while travelling from Manipur to Delhi. They were friends for four years before getting married. Onler says he married her because of her “simplicity” and “her willingness to be a successful sportswoman.” ..

 At 36 she defied norms and won gold at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, at the Asian Games and also at the World Championships in Delhi, increasing her World Championship gold medal count to six.

Onler is known to have supported his wife by providing her everything from financial assistance to the comfort of a home-cooked meal. He is always ready to go an extra mile for her despite all the hurdles. “If there’s any problem in the family, my husband never tells me about it. He says, ‘Don’t think about the children, don’t think about us. You just concentrate on your training,'” said Mary Kom.

Kom's Boxing Academy is around 10 km from state capital Imphal, Manipur. Spread across 3.3 acres, it houses around 45 young boxers. Almost half of them are girls. Husband Onler is the Managing Director of this academy.

Earlier this month the boxer announced that “Tokyo will be my last Olympics, age matters here. I’m 38 now, going on 39.” She further added saying, “Olympics is huge. For any sportsperson, participating and winning a medal at the Games is a dream, it changes lives.” Would she have been able to this had she not had the unconditional support of her husband?

For a relationship to be successful you have to be each other's biggest supporter. You have to be in a partnership not a competition and the Koms are acing it. Even Indian cricket team's captain Virat Kohli said, "I can’t think of anyone better than you to talk about being a parent and have a busy career like you." 

The views expressed are the author's own.