Nikhat Zareen
About
Nikhat Zareen is a distinguished Indian boxer and a two-time world champion. She first made headlines by winning a gold medal at the 2011 AIBA Women's Youth & Junior World Boxing Championships in Antalya, Turkey. Over the years, she has established her reputation as a formidable boxer by securing gold medals at the 2022 Istanbul and 2023 New Delhi IBA Women's World Boxing Championships, and at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Her impressive record includes a bronze medal in the Light Flyweight event at the 2022 Asian Games.
Nikhat's journey in boxing began under the guidance of her father, Mohammad Jameel Ahmed. She trained with him for a year before joining the Sports Authority of India in Vishakhapatnam in 2009, where she was mentored by Dronacharya awardee IV Rao. She was declared the 'golden best boxer' at the Erode Nationals in 2010.
In 2011, Nikhat clinched a gold medal in the flyweight division at the AIBA Women's Junior and Youth World Boxing Championship in Turkey. She continued her ascent in 2014, winning a silver medal at the Youth World Boxing Championship in Bulgaria and a gold medal at the third Nations Cup International Boxing Tournament in Serbia.
Her success streak included a gold medal at the 16th Senior Woman National Boxing Championship in Assam in 2015, a silver medal at the 2019 Thailand Open International Boxing Tournament, and a gold medal at the 2019 Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Nikhat's exceptional performance continued at the 2022 Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament in Sofia, where she defeated Ukraine's Tetiana Kob to win a gold medal. She also triumphed over Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Buse Naz Çakıroğlu in the semi-finals.
Her crowning achievement came in 2022, when she won the gold medal in the 52 kg category at the Women's World Championship in Istanbul, becoming the fifth Indian women's boxer to win a gold medal at the World Championships and only the second Indian boxer to win a World Championships gold medal abroad.
Awards and Accomplishments
Awards and Accomplishments
Beyond her accomplishments in the ring, Nikhat has been recognized with numerous awards and honors. She was appointed as the staff officer in the Bank of India, zonal office at AC Guards, Hyderabad, in June 2021. She was also named the official ambassador of her hometown, Nizamabad, Telangana.
Among her accolades are the ‘Best Boxer’ title at the All India Inter-University Boxing Championship in Jalandhar, Punjab, in February 2015, the JFW Award for Excellence in Sports in 2019, and the prestigious Arjuna Award in 2022.
Why Nikhat Zareen?
Nikhat’s remarkable journey from a small town in Telangana to becoming a two-time world boxing champion is a powerful story of perseverance, dedication, and triumph. Her experiences, both in and out of the ring, provide invaluable lessons in resilience, discipline, and the importance of following one’s passion.
