LONDON: India's Mary Kom had to settle for bronze as she lost to Britain's Nicola Adams in her 51 kg semifinal bout here.
Photos: There's something special about 'Magnificent Mary'
The 29-year-old Indian mother of twins, who put up a gritty fight in every round, will now return home with bronze.
Mary Kom apologised to the nation for not winning a gold medal saying, "My whole country was hoping for me to win a gold medal, and I am sorry I have not come back with that."
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.
A couple of times the 29-year-old Indian, a mother of twins, was pinned in the corner and took some major blows losing the first round 1-3.
The second round was closer as both boxers tried to assert their dominance. However the five-time world champion found it difficult to get her way around the quick Briton, who narrowly edged the round 2-1.
Mary Kom struggled as the Nicola displayed some clever boxing, causing the Indian massive problems. But to the credit of the newly crowned bronze medallist, she stuck it out and lost the third by a whisker.
The final round went pretty much in similar fashion as Mary Kom found it hard to cope with Nicola's superior size. With time running out the Indian went hell for leather but fell short and lost the round 2-3.
Mary Kom earlier beat Karolina Michalczuk of Poland in the pre-quarter final with a 19-14 verdict and then prevailed over Maroua Rahali of Tunisia 16-5 in the quarterfinals.
A five-time World Champion, Mary Kom has created history by becoming the first Indian woman to win an Olympic boxing medal.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh congratulated Mary Kom on her winning the bronze medal.
In his message, Manmohan Singh said: "I join the nation in congratulating boxer Mary Kom for winning the Olympic bronze medal in the 51 kg women's boxing event. She showed great discipline and determination and has done India proud." (Agencies)
