“Who is Nikhat Zareen?” Legendary Indian boxer Mary Kom had asked this question when the young Telangana boxer demanded a trial for the Tokyo Olympics. Mary got an automatic ticket to the World Championships in 2019 and when she was given a similar route to the Tokyo Olympics, Nikhat, who competes in the same weight category, fought it out and fought for a trial.
Nikhat did not win multithreaded testAs Mary Kom beats Telangana boxer to book tickets for Tokyo Olympics in 2019.
But Nizhkhat did not throw the towel. In fact, he has never in his life. This courageous boxer from Telangana won the gold medal of the Youth World Championship at the age of just 15. But competing in the same flyweight category as Mary Kom was not easy. A legend of the sport, Mary had dominated the weight category over the years, winning 8 medals around the world including 6 gold medals.
Nikhat is a world champion
Nikhat Zareen won all his matches in Istanbul by unanimous decision (PTI Photo)
Nikhat always had to struggle to get out of Maryam’s shadow. She was in good form leading up to the Tokyo Games, winning a gold medal at the prestigious Standja Boxing Memorial Tournament and a silver medal at the Asian Championships.
But Nikhat missed the bus to Tokyo. A year later, Nikhat answered all the questions.
Who is Nikhat Zareen? He is the world champion.
“Is my name trending on Twitter?” Nikhat asked the first question during his meeting with the press on Thursday. Well done.
With Mary Kom ruled out of major events including the World Championships in 2022, it was an opportunity for Nikhat to talk, after all. And he did it in style.
Nikhat Zareen became on Thursday 19 May She is only the 5th female boxer from India to win a gold medal at the World Championships. More importantly, she is only the second Indian female boxer after Mary Kom to win a world gold medal outside India.
Nikhat was best in the final with a 5-0 win against Thailand’s Jutamas Jitpong. In fact, Nikhat dominated the weight category in Istanbul, winning each of his 4 matches by unanimous decision.
Nikhat has done well in 2022. The 25-year-old Standja became the first Indian boxer to win more than one gold medal at the Boxing Memorial Tournament and reached Istanbul to clinch the world title.
prove opponents wrong
Nikhat Zareen started her boxing career by proving her opponents wrong (Photo: Coutesy: Instagram)
Proving opponents wrong is nothing new for Nikhat Zareen. Nikhat couldn’t believe it when people in his town called him a “boxing man’s game”. Instead, she sets out on a journey to clear up misunderstandings.
“Once I went to a stadium, I saw urban sports going on. I saw girls in every sport except boxing. Then I was curious to know why there are no girls in boxing. I told my father ‘Papa, girls are in all sports’ but why are they not in boxing? Is it just men’s sports?’.
“They said ‘no beta, girls can box too, but people think girls don’t have the guts to box’.
“I belong to a place where very few people allow their daughters to pursue their dreams in the sport. I took those words as a challenge, then I decided to take up boxing.
Nikhat told indiatoday.in in March, “I told my father ‘Dad, I will do boxing. I wanted to show people around me that girls can do boxing too’.”
‘My father would be proud’
Nikhat, who has set his sights on Paris 2024, is forever grateful for the support he has received from his father, Mohamed Jameel Ahmed. Winning an Olympic medal is the biggest gift she can give to her beloved ‘papa’.
“Every girl deserves a father like me,” she said.
“Initially, it was challenging for me and my father as people around us were saying all kinds of things. But my father never heard all this. He supported me in my journey. That’s why I always say I am lucky to have such a father.
“One day, I will make him proud by winning an Olympic medal.”
Nikhat Zareen will now be in the headlines. With Mary’s retreat, the country’s hopes will be pinned on Nikhat. But the young boxer, who had spent long hours waiting for the wings, would only cherish the attention and use it to solidify his journey towards the dreams of Paris.