Who is Boxer Nikhat Zareen, the World Champion?
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Indian boxer Nikhat Zareen made her way into record books by clinching a gold medal at the 12th edition of the IBA Women's World Boxing Championships with a dominating 5-0 victory. Living up to the expectations, Nikhat defeated Thailand's Jitpong Jutamas on Thursday without breaking a sweat in the 52kg final with judges scoring the bout 30-27, 29-28, 29-28, 30-27, 29-28 in the Indian's favour.
The Nizamabad (Telangana)-born boxer became the only fifth Indian woman to secure a gold medal at the World Boxing Championships after record six-time champion Mary Kom (2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2018), Sarita Devi (2006), Jenny RL (2006) and Lekha KC (2006). It was also India's first gold medal since boxing great Mary Kom won it in 2018.
Nikhat hails from Nizamabad in Telangana in India. She has been making headlines sicne her junior days. She came to the limelight in 2011 when she became World Junion boxing champion in 50 kg. That event was also held in Turkey. Nikhat worked hard on her game with American coach Ronn Simms at the Inspire Institute of Sports in Vijaynagar.
Achievements-
Silver in Thailand Open in 2019. Bronze in Asian Championships, 2019. Gold in Strandja Memorial in 2019. Bronze in India Open, 2019. Bronze in Brosphorus, 2021. Gold in Stradja Memorial, 2022.
Challenge Mary Kom-
In 2019, in a shocking move, Nikhat had objected to Mary's automatic selection for the World Championships in 2019. She argued that no boxer,whether rookie or legend, should be selected without any trial.Mary's motion for a trial was denied because she had already qualified for the India Open Championships.
Her request for a trial was rejected as Mary had already qualified for Championships at India Open. However, she got a trial bout with Mary for a spot in the Olympic qualifiers. However, the veteran boxer won it easily with 9-1 and earned a spot in the Tokyo Olympics. But three years later, Nikhat has worked hard to come out on top and become a World Champion, taking the baton from Mary herself.