Mary Kom gunning for gold after assuring bronze

India's five-time world women's boxing champion M C Mary Kom admitted she faced an uphill task to win the gold medal despite securing bronze in the London Olympic flyweight competition yesterday.

"Magnificent Mary", 29, enjoyed a commanding 15-6 win over Tunisia's Maroua Rahali, putting her into the semi-finals and guaranteeing at least a bronze medal.

On Wednesday, she will face British second seed Nicola Adams, who beat her in the world championships' last eight in May. Chinese favourite Ren Cancan, a three-time world champion, is in the other semi-final.

"I am extremely happy, now I hope my dreams come true," said Kom, who has stepped up a weight division for the Olympics and won the last of her five world crowns in 2010.

"For the past year I have been dreaming of an Olympic medal and I will try for a silver, then after that let's see...

"For the last three or four years, I have been training with boys taller and heavier than me. It has helped a lot."

"I have only been fighting at this weight for two years. It is so hard to gain the weight. I am still adjusting."

In the first round on Sunday, Kom overcame a three-inch height disadvantage to see off Poland's Karolina Michalczuk as women's boxing made its Olympics debut.u00a0