West News Wire: A 25-year-old boxer from the southern Indian state of Telangana became the fifth Indian woman to win a world championship gold medal.
Nikhat Zareen defeated Thailand’s Jitpong Jutamas in the 52kg flyweight category on Thursday at the Women’s World Boxing Championships in Istanbul, Turkey.
Zareen punched the air, hugged her opponent, and burst into tears when the name of the new world flyweight champion was called out.
“It’s finally here. The culmination of years of hard work and perseverance,” she tweeted on Friday. “India, this one’s for you. We did it, together.”
The former junior world champion is the fifth Indian woman boxer after MC Mary Kom, Sarita Devi, Jenny RL and Lekha KC to win a gold at the world championships.
In 2019, when Zareen asked for a fair trial against India’s legendary boxer Mary Kom after being denied a chance to compete in the trials for the Tokyo Olympics, the latter had famously asked: “Who is Nikhat Zareen?”
Three years later, Zareen is a world champion winning India’s first gold since Mary Kom won it in 2018.
After her win on Thursday, Zareen told a news conference that she would dedicate the medal to all the countrymen who supported her throughout her career.
Zareen also said it was her dream to trend on Twitter.
“Am I trending on Twitter? It was always my dream to be a trend on Twitter and to achieve something for my country at the world level is the biggest motivation,” she said.
Three years later, Zareen is a world champion winning India’s first gold since Mary Kom won it in 2018.
After her win on Thursday, Zareen told a news conference that she would dedicate the medal to all the countrymen who supported her throughout her career.
Zareen also said it was her dream to trend on Twitter.
“Am I trending on Twitter? It was always my dream to be a trend on Twitter and to achieve something for my country at the world level is the biggest motivation,” she said.
