India's Mary apologises for semi-final defeat

India's five-time world boxing champion M.C. Mary Kom had to settle for bronze after losing Wednesday's Olympic women's flyweight semi-final - then apologised for not bringing home gold.

'Magnificent Mary', 29, went down 11-6 to Britain's Nicola Adams, the world silver medallist.

"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.

In a rematch of May's world championship quarter-final bout in Qinhuangdao, China, Adams counter-punched impressively and was too strong for Kom, who won the last of her five world golds in 2010.

Kom is India's only boxing medal success of the London Games after Vijender Singh lost his middleweight quarter-final on Monday.

And light flyweight Devendro Singh Laishram also bowed out on Wednesday when he lost his quarter-final bout to Ireland's Paddy Barnes, leaving India coach Gurbakhsh Singh Sandhu to thank Kom for securing bronze.

"We had come for medals. We are very grateful to Mary who has come to our rescue and got a medal," he said.

"I am extremely happy with the overall performance of the Indian boxers.

"But I am very sad because I think I am responsible for not being able to translate them into medal-winning performances."

 

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