Nikhat Zareen Eyes World Cup Gold After Moving Past Paris Olympics Heartbreak

Nikhat is part of a 20-member Indian contingent - 10 men and 10 women - that trained from October 1 to November 14 at SAI NSNIS Patiala for the World Boxing Cup.

Nikhat, who lost in the 51 kg quarterfinals of the World Championships in Liverpool recently, is determined to revive her season with a first international medal in the World Boxing Cup finals. In Liverpool, Nikhat lost 5-0 to two-time Olympic silver medallist Buse Naz Çakıroğlu of Turkiye.

"The Boxing World Championships in Liverpool was my first international competition after a one-year sabbatical. It was a great lesson as I lost to a two-time Olympic medallist in the quarters. So, my current focus is the Boxing World Cup finals and I aim to win gold and start my comeback from there this season," said Nikhat in a chat with SAI Media in Patiala on Thursday.

"India is hosting the World Boxing Cup finals in Greater Noida, so I am very excited to participate in it. After the 2023 World Championships, I am going to compete in India for the first time, so competing in front of the home crowd is a different experience altogether. As there are a lot of expectations from Indian fans, I want to give it my best to bring a smile on their faces," Nikhat said.

India has hosted the World Championships in boxing in the past but staging the World Boxing Cup finals for the first time is part of a greater scheme to bring world-class events like the World Para Athletics Championships, the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, Billie Jean King Cup Play-Offs to India for providing homegrown athletes the invaluable opportunity to compete in familiar conditions against the highest level of international opposition.

For Hyderabad-based Nikhat, it's going to be a fresh start. The Paris Olympics was a great experience for me; unfortunately, I couldn't bring a medal back home. But after that, I decided that whatever happens, happens for a reason. I have moved on.

"My main focus is now the LA 2028 Olympics, but there are a lot of competitions in my way till I reach there," said Nikhat.

Talking about the home pressure, the 29-year-old pugilist said that pressure is always there when you are representing your country. Nikhat also informed that she has to reduce her weight from 51kg to 50kg in the flyweight group as per the new categories announced by the World Boxing.

"In my case, I have to change my body weight as the new categories will be part of the next Olympic Games. Pressure is always there, whether it involves a change of training strategy, tactics, or having food and sleeping on time. There is also pressure as to how our bodies execute the strategy planned before a particular bout. All the strategy gets wiped out from the mind once you enter the boxing ring. So, I only keep my focus on winning the bout when the referee blows the whistle."

So, is the competition stiffer in lower weight categories as compared to higher classes? Nikhat replied: "The competition is tougher in lower weight categories as the quantity (number of competitors) is higher vis-à-vis quality (boxers possessing better skill sets). The boxers are faster and more powerful in lower body weight. In heavyweight classes, the boxers are powerful but lack speed. So, it's a deadly combination; competing against such boxers is a bit tough."

LA 2028 is still two years away, but the 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medallist has already started planning for her maiden Olympic medal.

- IANS