Nikhat Zareen wins gold at the Women’s World Boxing Championships,
At the Istanbul World Cup, Nikhat Zareen closed her eyes and prayed. Her rival Jutamas Jitpong of Thailand had reached the final but Zareen threw enough punches to not let this happen. She closed it in the third round by winning the quarter-finals of the Tokyo Olympics. Or so he thought.
When her hand finally came up, Zareen roared, her face filled with emotion before she burst into tears. Holding India coach Bhaskar Bhatt cried at the side of the ring. After two and a half years in the worst-case scenario of MC Mary Kom’s bid to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics in the flyweight division (52kg), Zareen was a world champion.
That conflict with Mary Kom and her insistence on the election case strengthened Zareen’s determination. In Istanbul, he made a statement, large and clear. This was one of the biggest topics he wanted to cover. Zareen defeated its rivals in five rounds, winning all by one vote 5-0. She took the ring with a swagger; he threw punches quickly and attacked intentionally. She is now the fifth Indian woman to win a world title, but, more importantly, she is the only boxer other than Mary Kom who has been a world champion since women’s boxing became part of the Olympic program in 2012.
Ever since she rose to prominence with gold at the World Junior Championships and youth in Turkey, her strength has never been doubted. But the Nizamabad boxer lived in the shadow of Mary Kom because they were in the same category. In 2016, Zareen changed her weight but could not make it to the quarter-finals in the world. She then decided to stick to flyweight and prepare for the Tokyo Olympics, but as a result, she had to overtake Mary Kom – the most decorated boxer in the history of the six-world championships.
Zareen had an amazing run in 2019 with bronze at the Asian Championships and gold at Strandja Memorial. “She was preparing for two to three years thinking about the Tokyo Olympics and a lot was being done because she wanted a fair selection,” said her father Mohammad Jameel, who punched Zareen.
“There was no way he could go to Tokyo qualifiers in any other weight class. It was very painful for her. You have gone through a difficult time for a few months but then you have to make a choice in life and that is what Nikhat has done. She was supported by a psychiatrist, physio, and trainer and worked hard on her side of body and mind. “
“After a few months, she came out. she had to remain positive and look forward. She is young and has a lot of fists left. “After the Tokyo Olympics, I told him to go back to full preparation because they could call for tests at any time in the world championships,” said Jameel.
Zareen spent a few months at the Inspire Institute of Sport in JSW before winning the national adult championships last October. At this year’s prestigious Strandja memorial, he was the leading and winning silver medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, Cakiroglu Buse Naz of Turkey in the final. She then won a qualifying round trip back to New Delhi to win the World Cup and the Asian Games team.
“She is a great talent. she is a champion, ”said former India coach Rafaelle Bergamasco. “You saw her in the tournament because she was upset because she missed the tournament and now she has a chance to be number 1 and fight against the idea of winning,“ said the Italian, who spent a lot of time with Zareen. in the national camp. Bergamasco stopped behind Tokyo.
Jitpong was a good opponent but Zareen had beaten him in 2019 in Thailand. Zareen had some clean passes in the first round and despite Jitpong scoring a few goals, the Indian took the first round 5-0. Jitpong stepped back for the second time using her long-distance approach to strike from a distance, her shoulders resting on Zareen’s face. The decision was tense but Zareen’s pure strikes hurt Jitpong. She blended it well with the body wraps and went hard for the last few seconds to come out in the open.
“Don’t miss the World Cup,” said his coach Emani Chiranjeevi. Despite this Zareen has given shown confidence. In Istanbul, be brave; she has shown the courage to fight the best. Now no one can say Nikhat Zareen is not a world champion, ”said the former coach.