Dolly Singh’s dearest “Marydi” lost the Olympic battle for gold on Wednesday evening but not before winning the war for every Indian girl fighting to stay in the ring.

“All of us are very proud of Marydi for bringing home a medal from the first-ever women’s boxing competition at the Olympics. We are excited about meeting her at the National Games in Assam in November….She will be there just to see us,” said the young Calcutta girl who is Mary Kom’s sparring partner.

Dolly, 20, and 14 other women boxers were in a hostel room in Vizag when their idol entered the ring at London’s ExCel South Arena for her semi-final bout against Briton Nicola Adams.

By the third round, the chorus of “Marydi! Marydi” had died down. Nicola was proving too tall and technically proficient for five-time world champion Mary.

“We couldn’t believe what we were seeing,” said Dolly, who took to the sport at the Alipore Bodyguard Lines while in high school.

So was Mary not up to the challenge? “You have to admit that Nicola Adams was terrific today. She was not letting Marydi even touch her. I am sure she did nothing except stare at recordings of Marydi’s bouts over the past couple of days. She also used her height to advantage,” said Dolly, the daughter of a city cop.

The 20-year-old, nationally ranked just below Mary in the 51kg category, is currently in Vizag for a coaching camp. Between October 2001 and May this year, she was in Patiala helping the Olympic bronze medal winner prepare to fight the world’s best in London.

At 5’4”, Dolly is two inches taller than Mary, which prompted the national coaches to choose her as the world champion’s main sparring partner.

Dolly recalled how she and Mary would spar in the evenings, focusing on a particular technique in each session, and fight a “real bout” every Friday. Those seven months of hard work paid off when Mary convincingly defeated the 5’5” tall Karolina Michalcsuk of Poland in the round of 16 and Maroua Rahali of Tunisia, also taller by an inch, in the quarter-finals.

Dolly was disappointed that her idol didn’t employ her signature left-right-duck-left combinations against Nicola on Wednesday.

“I could read Marydi’s mind during the bout. By the fourth round, she was trailing 4-8 and knew it was all over. A knockout was the only chance for her but she knew that was a bit unrealistic given how Nicola was fighting. That’s when she probably got a little depressed and started rushing the opponent in desperation,” she said.

As and when Mary retires, Dolly, who is the current Federation Cup and inter-university champion in the 51kg category, will have big gloves to fit into. But before that, Bengal’s lone representative in national camps for women boxers needs a job to support herself.

Dolly has appeared for recruitment tests conducted by Calcutta police but hasn’t found employment yet. She has also met ministers Madan Mitra and Mukul Roy to seek their help in getting a job.

“My elder sister Rinki, who is just 22, won gold in boxing for India in international meets but gave up the sport when nobody offered her a job. But I don’t want to give up so easily, especially now that Marydi has won an Olympic medal in the weight category I compete in,” said Dolly.

In Dolly’s determination to fight it out lies Mary’s biggest victory in London.

How do Mary Kom and Dolly Singh inspire you? Tell ttmetro@abpmail.com