"My Eventual Goal Has To Be 2024 Paris Olympics": Nikhat Zareen

After winning gold medals in the Women's World Boxing Championship in Turkey and Birmingham Commonwealth Games last year, Indian pugilist Nikhat Zareen's next target is a medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Nizamabad (Telangana)-born boxer is only the 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).

"After the world championship there were a lot of distractions, events and felicitations and then we had a two-week training period in Ireland. My focus was always the gold medal and I was ready to sacrifice anything to get my hand on the gold. In fact, I want to win everything and the eventual goal has to be the Paris Olympics of 2024, " said Nikhat Zareen on Backstage with Boria Majumdar show.

The Indian pugilist had to change her weight category while competing in Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022. But the change of weight category made no difference to her performance as she went on to bag a gold medal at the quadrennial event.

"I have finally got the chance of representing my country and I am not going to let this opportunity go. Having won the world championship gold and the gold medal in front of a packed audience in Birmingham at a weight category which was two kilos less than what I competed in the world championship I now have the confidence of doing well in big events. To lose weight and compete wasn't easy," explained Nikhat.

Indian pugilist Nikhat Zareen has urged the parents to change their mentality towards a girl child and support them in whatever they want to do in their lives as she has herself brought this change in her mother. Earlier was not in favour of a girl picking up boxing as a profession and now she urges parents to encourage their children to pick up boxing as a profession.

The Nizamabad (Telangana)-born boxer is only the 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).

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