She has been a defining force in Indian boxing for well over a decade but the timeless M C Mary Kom managed to surpass even herself, obliterating everyone and everything else along the way in a tumultuous year for the sport.
She turned 36 the day an unprecedented sixth world title became hers in front of adoring home fans. But it wouldn't be wrong to call Mary Kom ageless for she was around when women's boxing took baby-steps towards going mainstream and she is around when the sport gears up for an Olympic expansion in 2020.
This is not to say that nothing else happened in Indian boxing. There were quite a few medals to celebrate, a prominent one being Amit Panghal's Asian Games Gold. What made it remarkable was that he defeated reigning Olympic champion Hasanboy Dusmatov in the final.
In a breakthrough year for him, Amit (49kg) also won a silver at the Commonwealth Games.
Then there was the discovery of a new star in Gaurav Solanki (52kg) after his rather unexpected Gold medals at the CWG and the prestigious Chemistry Cup in Germany.
But that wasn't enough to shift the spotlight away from Mary Kom, whose year started with a Gold (India Open) and ended with a Gold (the world championships). These were two of the four yellow metals she picked up in all, including the CWG top honours. In between, there was also a Silver at a prestigious European tournament in Bulgaria.
But her feats, however remarkable, can't really cover up for the lack of depth in Indian women's boxing. She was India's sole gold-winner in three exclusively women competitions this year and when the team travelled without her for the Asian Games, it drew a blank in Jakarta.
In the men's circuit, India registered an unprecedented eight medals at the Commonwealth Games — including two Gold won by Gaurav and Vikas Krishan (75kg). But there was an inexplicable dip in the Asian Games with Amit's Gold, along with Vikas' bronze, saving the team the blushes.
In the professional circuit, Vijender Singh signed up with the legendary Bob Arum and will be making US debut next year after an unbeaten run in England and India. However, he was not seen in action through the year. Joining him in the circuit was Vikas, who also signed up with Arum. Arum is a hall of famer in international boxing and has managed the likes of Oscar de la Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr. among others.