Mary Kom has been named the Best Asian Female Athlete by the Asian Sportswriters Union in their Awards for Asia ceremony in Malaysia. South Korean footballer Heung-Min Son also won the honour in the male category.
The Qatar men's football team and the Japan women's football team were named the best teams in Asia.
AIPS Asia, representing Asian sportswriters since 1978, organised the award ceremony for the first time this year to honour Asian athletes who have excelled at the highest level.
Mary Kom, the only woman to have won a medal in seven World Championships, was not present at the ceremony. YAB Tuan Haji Amirudin Shari, the chief minister of Selangor, gave away her trophy to eminent sports journalist Subodh Malla Barua, who accepted on behalf of Mary Kom.
The 36-year-old boxer recently won the gold medal in the 23rd President's Cup in the 51kg bout final in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. She claimed her sixth world title in Delhi last year.
Mary Kom will be looking to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the World Championships in Yekaterinburg, Russia.
Heung-Min Son is the leading Asian footballer playing in Europe.
