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Nikhat Zareen begins journey to LA 2028, via Liverpool
The two-time champion begins her title defence at the boxing World Championships starting in Liverpool on Thursday
New Delhi: A little over a year back, Nikhat Zareen entered the ring at Arena Paris Nord as one of India’s bright medal hopes, only to be outclassed by Chinese top-seed Wu Yu by unanimous decision. The result not only brought her Olympic campaign to an early end, but also left her with mental scars that sent her into a month-long lockdown. She found succour in binge eating, binge watching, and scrolling countless Instagram reels with little purpose.
“It was a proper heartbreak,” she smiles. “I ate stuff I had long given up. I barely stepped out of my room. I didn’t train. For three months, I was a wreck.”
With boxing’s Olympic future still uncertain, Nikhat had nothing much to look forward to. In the middle of her turmoil, she was made Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in Telangana Police and her long-cherished dream was realised.
“I always loved the uniform and wanted to wear it someday. At least one of my dreams came true.”
Picking up pieces
For three months Nikhat was off the radar, struggling to find her purpose again. She finally began to pick up the pieces. “I started believing in destiny. In sports and in life things will not always go your way and you’ll have to accept that,” she said. That done, it was time to train.
Getting back to the grind wasn’t easy. “I had gained 7kg thanks to eating all that junk. When I started training, my knees started troubling me.” After a brief rehab at the Gopichand academy, she started training in Pune’s Army Sports Institute in January. A few months later, she was back in the mix after topping BFI’s assessment.
The countdown for LA 2028, the 29-year-old says, has already begun in her mind. Before that, there are many competitions that need attention.
The two-time world champion begins her title defence in 51kg at the World Championships in Liverpool on Thursday. This will be Nikhat’s first international event post Paris, and only the year’s second event, after the Elite Women’s Boxing Tournament in Hyderabad in July.
“I am nervous. It is not easy to get back to elite level after a long break, but once I am in the ring, the warrior mentality takes over. I aim to reach the final at least,” she said.
“A lot also depends on the draw. In boxing, it’s all a matter of one day. One good day can send you on a roll and one bad day can end your dreams.”
Training under a new coaching set up – D Chandralal took over as national women’s coach in May – Nikhat has been working on her attack and footwork. “After Paris, I realised I need to be a little more aggressive. Also, I used to put my guard down while trying a combination which would give the opponent an opportunity. I have tried to plug those holes.”
In April, Nikhat and fellow Paris Olympian Preeti Pawar travelled to Tashkent to hone their skills with the elite Uzbekistan team, which Nikhat says has vastly improved her game.
“I initially wanted to go to China, but the schedule did not work out. I then asked BFI to arrange an exposure trip for me and they worked out this Uzbek camp,” she said. Nikhat trained there for a fortnight, but her abiding memory is sparring with Paris 57kg men’s gold medallist Abdumalik Khalokov.
“He asked me to attack and said he’ll only throw jabs as and when I gave an opening. I could barely touch him,” she said. “I was fatigued within a minute. He literally made me dance around...superb footwork, and what speed...even if I get 10% of his game, I’ll be an Olympic champion.”
Age no bar
Nikhat has three years to reach those levels, but can age hinder her Olympic medal hopes?
“I’ll be 32 in 2028, but age doesn’t matter if you have the hunger. Nicola Adams was 29 when she won gold in London 2012 and 33 when she won in Rio. Katie Taylor was 35 in Rio 2016, and in Paris it was Kellie Harrington at 34. I am still chasing the dream. Also, modern sports science is so advanced that recovery and injury management have become a lot better,” Nikhat said.
The Indian boxing team had a weeklong camp in Sheffield ahead of the Worlds and Nikhat tested her skills against 54kg boxers from Canada, US, Ireland, Britain, Kosovo, Korea, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
“The sparring sessions were very competitive. I am feeling good about my game again. I don’t want to sulk about Paris anymore. It’s time to start winning again.”
