When she arrives in Paris, France, amateur boxer Nikhat Zareen won’t just be fighting for Olympic glory. She’ll be fighting for history. The flyweight fighter seeks to win India’s first Olympic gold medal in women’s boxing.
“I have given my best in all the competitions and won a medal (several times). I will aim for the same at the Olympics, putting in 100 percent of my efforts. People want me to win an Olympic medal and so do I; it’s my dream,” she told Al Jazeera.
Despite the lack of resources and support for women’s boxing in many countries, including India, Zareen always had the support her father. In the face of a society that “thinks [girls and women] aren’t strong enough for such (combat) sports,” Zareen’s father always said, “Girls are capable of boxing.”
“I was into athletics initially and competed in 100m and 200m events. While I was training one day, I noticed women in all sports except boxing and asked my father,” she explained.
“He told me girls are capable of boxing, but our society thinks they aren’t strong enough for such (combat) sports. I found that very odd because I grew up playing with boys. My father then asked me if I was sure about my decision to pick up boxing and I said yes. I wanted to prove to everyone that girls are strong too. My father understood me and signed me up for coaching in 2009.”
Fifteen years into her boxing venture, she has won two gold medals at the World Championships, one gold medal at the Commonwealth Games and a bronze medal at the Asian Championships. Buse Naz Cak?roglu of Turkey is the favorite to win the women’s flyweight division after finishing second at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games, but Cuban boxing coach Blas Iglesias Fernandez believes Zareen has what it takes to shine on amateur boxing’s greatest stage.
“I love the boxing (style) of Nikhat,” Fernandez said.
“This is Nikhat’s time to prove herself. It’s true that she had lived in the shadows of Mary Kom but now it’s her chance to prove herself and make India proud.”
