The Superstar Of Indian Boxing
Nikhat Zareen’s inspiring journey is nothing short of a film’s story. Nikhat took up boxing while training to be a sprinter because she saw no girls in the ring. She returned home with a black eye after her first stint in the ring but that only made her pursue it harder. In 2011, Nikaht claimed her first gold medal at the Junior and Youth World Championships. Things took a dramatic turn when Nikhat found a rival in her idol, Mary Kom. Mary was always picked as the flyweight (weighing between 49kg to 51kg) boxer from India to compete on the international turf. In 2020, Nikhat requested the federation to conduct a trial and give her a chance to compete in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics qualifiers. She lost to Mary but continued her hustle for an international gold. In 2022, Nikhat won the national championship. It was followed by two golds at the 73rd Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament in Bulgaria. Then 2022 proved to be her golden year!
Power Move
In May 2022, Nikhat created history by clinching a gold medal in the 52kg category at the Women’s World Championship in Istanbul. This made her the first person after Mary to win the title. Nikhat became the Women’s World Boxing Champion after beating Thai Jutamas Jitpong by 5-0 in the 52kg final. She continued her winning spree at the Commonwealth Games 2022 with yet another gold medal.
The POPxo Power Women List is an annual list that celebrates incredible Indian women from diverse domains who make power moves that have a real impact. With The POPxo Power Women List 2023, we celebrate 23 phenomenal women. To see the entire list, click here.
