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Nikhat Zareen, the reigning world champion in women’s boxing, is one of the prime candidates from India to win a gold medal at Paris 2024 in the 50kg flyweight category. The 28-year-old made it to the Olympic Games for the first time after winning a bronze medal at the Asian Games in Hangzhou last year.
One of the biggest mome n ts in the career of Nikhat Zareen came in 2022 during the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in Istanbul, when she defeated Jitpong Jutamas of Thailand in the flyweight final to become a world champion for the first time in her career. She is one of only five boxers from India who earned the right to be called a world champion in boxing alongside Mary Kom, Laishram Sarita Devi, Lekha RC, and Jenny RL.
During the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022, Nikhat Zareen got the better of Carly McNaul of Northern Ireland in the final, to win a gold medal in the multi-sporting games in her first attempt. She called the gold medal win at the Commonwealth Games as one of the best moments of her life.
With her consistent accomplishments inside the squared circle, Nikhat Zareen also got the prestigious Arjuna Award, which was conferred by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in India.
The year 2023 began in style for Nikhat Zareen after she managed to defend the world championship successfully in front of her home fans in New Delhi. At the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships 2023, she got the better of Nguyen Thi Tam from Vietnam to keep her title run intact.
With that, Nikhat Zareen became only the second boxer from India to win a gold medal at the World Championships twice after her compatriot Mary Kom did it five times. All in all, she is ready to take the legacy of Indian boxing forward, and a top performance at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games could propel her to super stardom.
