LONDON: Legendary boxer ‘magnificent’ Mary Kom has been honoured with the as the Global Indian Icon award at UK-India Awards.
The UK-India Awards was held at Windsor in Southeast England.
Mary Kom, hailing from the Northeast state of Manipur, is the first female boxer from India to win an Olympic medal.
At the award ceremony, held on Thursday (June 29) night, the 40-year-old legendary boxer and Indian parliamentarian spoke of her 20-year journey of perseverance and dedicating her life to boxing.
She was presented the award from Vikram Doraiswami, the Indian high commissioner to the United Kingdom.
“I have been fighting for 20 years, putting in so much effort, hard work in my life, in boxing, it means a lot… making sacrifice for my country, for my family. I really thank from the bottom of my heart for this recognition,” Mary Kom said.
On the other hand, Elizabeth: The Golden Age director Shekhar Kapur was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to cinema in both India and Britain.
The Indian High Commission’s cultural arm, the Nehru Centre in London, received the UK-India Award for Significant Contribution to UK-India Relations.