Magnificent Mary loses to Nicola Adams but wins heart with her Olympic bronze medal back home

It’s wasn’t MC Mary Kom’s day at the Excel Arena on Wednesday as the ‘Super Mom’ went down fighting in her 51 kg semi-final bout to Britain's Nicola Adams and had to settle for the bronze at London Olympics on Wednesday, says a report in Hindustan Times, adding that later, Mary Kom apologised for winning bronze and not a gold medal for India.

"My whole country was hoping for me to win a gold medal, and I am sorry I have not come back with that," said Kom, who had to move up a weight category to fight in London.

Buoyed by the presence of British Prime Minister David Cameron and star professional boxer Amir Khan, second-seed Nicola put on a flawless performance beating the Indian 11-6 at the packed ExCel Arena. From the start of the bout, Mary Kom struggled to cope up with the Briton's speed. She came under pressure in the first round, having to fend off Nicola's powerful punches.

Meanwhile a report in The Times Of India says that a month ago, India's diminutive female boxer Mary Kom was just an occasional story on the sports pages. With an Olympic medal in hand, she has become the nation's newest sports star. “She's been winning world championships for years, but boxing has few fans in India, and many in this traditional country can't fathom the idea of a woman landing lethal left hooks. Only now, has "Magnificent Mary" seized the front pages,” says the newspaper, adding that Kom, the 29-year-old mother of 5-year-old twin boys, was guaranteed at least a bronze medal with a victory on Monday and many were hoping she might bring back the first ever gold medal won by an Indian woman.

But she lost her semifinal match to British boxer Nicola Adams at the London Games on Wednesday.