London, Aug 7: India's champion boxer MC Mary Kom is not content with the Olympic bronze that she has already made sure of.

"It feels great to win an Olympic medal for the country. But I want to carry on the momentum or a bigger medal," the 29-year-old told reporters after winning yesterday's quarter-final bout with Tunisia's Maroua Rahali here.

In the semi-final, Mary Kom will face Nicola Adams of Great Britain. The latter is expected to benefit from the raucous support of the home fans.

"She is a good boxer. I lost to her in the World Championship quarter-final by just two points. Boxing is a very tough sport and winning or losing is a part of the game. But I will give my best," Mary Kom promised.

One can expect that she will keep her word. After all, the five-time world champion left behind two young sons at home when she boarded the flight to London. In fact, Mary Kom defeated Poland's Karolina Michalczuk on the fifth birthday of her twins to move into the last 8.

The only disappointment for the Manipuri boxer yesterday was the enforced absence of her personal coach. Family problems prevented Charles Atkinson from attending the quarter-final bout.

Mary Kom wants him to be present at the ring side when she clashes with the British favourite later today. If Atkinson cannot come, there is no need to worry as all her compatriots are praying for her success.

Just like Mary Kom, the nation is not satisfied with just one silver and three bronze medals or two silver and two bronze. The current haul may be the largest till date but it can surely be bettered.

A billion hopes are now directed towards the biggest prize of all. Mary Kom must emulate the feat of ace shooter Abhinav Bindra who in the 2008 Beijing Games fetched the country's first Olympic gold medal in an individual event.

OneIndia News