Nikhat Zareen, the 25-year-old boxer from Telangana, has clinched the gold medal in the 52-kilo category of the National Women’s Boxing Championship held in Hisar. With her 4-1 win over Haryana’s Minakshi, Zareen has qualified for the world championships. As a cherry on top of this cake, Zareen was also adjudged to be the Best Boxer at the championships.
“Feeling extremely ecstatic and honoured to win Gold medal and been adjudged as the #BestBoxer in the 5th Alite Women’s National Boxing Championship,” Zareen wrote in a post on Twitter. “Thank you for all the support & blessings. More work and quest to win will continue in the upcoming World Championship.” The former World Junior Champion and bronze medallist at the Asian Championships is all set to make waves at the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championship, which will be held in Istanbul, Turkey, in December.
Zareen was not, however, the only woman boxer to make a mark at the National Championship. The Railway Sports Promotion Board was able to defend its team championship title at the event, with 12 medals in total, including five gold, six silver and one bronze medal. The RSPB boxers were able to win medals at every single weight category at the championships. Haryana’s Pooja Rani, a two-time Asian-level champion, won the gold in the 81-kilo category by defeating RSPB’s Nupur with a score of 5-0. Haryana’s Nitu defeated former World Championship silver medallist, Manju Rani, in the 48-kilo category.
With over 320 women boxers from a total of 36 states, union territories and boards like RSPB participating in the event, the Boxing Federation of India assured that all COVID-19 protocols were followed to maintain the safety of the players.
Image courtesy: Twitter/Nikhat_Zareen