Editorial . . . . . . 

Nikhat Zareen, 25, became the only fifth Indian boxer to win a gold medal at the Women’s World Boxing Championships in Istanbul, Turkey, 2022. After winning the World Boxing Championships in Turkey, Nikhat Zareen has become a household name in India. She was desperate for an opportunity to represent her country. She lost the trial against Mary Kom, missing out on a chance to compete in the Tokyo Olympics two years ago.

The energetic fighter won the gold medal in the Women’s World Championship in Istanbul, defeating Thailand’s Jitpong Jutamas in the flyweight category (52 kg). Throughout the event, the Indian boxer was in superb form, dominating all of her opponents. She out-punched Jutamas in the final, winning by unanimous decision with judges scoring the fight 30-27, 29-28, 29-28, 30-27, 29-28 in her favour. Zareen defeated Jutamas for the second time; she also defeated the Thai boxer at the Thailand Open in 2019. As a result of this victory, the bronze medallist at the 2019 Asian Championships became only the fifth Indian boxer to win a world title. Mary Kom (2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2018) is a six-time world champion, as are Sarita Devi (2006), Jenny R.L. (2006), and Lekha K.C. (2006).

This was India’s first gold medal in the sport in four years; the previous gold medalist was Mary Kom (48 kg) in 2018. In 2019 in such an event, she was the only one who competed in the flyweight division. Manisha Moun (57 kg) and Rookie Parveen Hooda (63 kg) earned bronze medals in addition to Zareen’s gold. In 2006, India had its best result, winning eight medals, including four gold, one silver, and three bronze. In the Women’s World Championships, India now has 39 medals, including 10 gold, eight silver, and 21 bronze.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked Zareen, saying that Indian boxers had made the country proud. K. Chandrasekhar Rao, the Chief Minister of Telangana, expressed his happiness at Zareen’s victory and praised her for raising India’s flag on a worldwide sporting stage. The 26-year-old Zareen’s road to gold, however, was not without its bumps. She comes from a middle-class, traditional Muslim household in Nizamabad, which lacked sports facilities, and she surmounted various difficulties with hard effort, dedication, and determination to carve out a space for herself. She sustained a career-threatening accident in 2017 after dislocating her shoulder after building a name for herself. Therefore was unable to compete for a year following surgery, and she missed out on major tournaments such as the Commonwealth Games, Asiad, and World Championships in 2018. But she didn’t give up, and in 2019 she made a comeback. She hasn’t looked back since. She was in outstanding form this year, winning two gold medals at the renowned Strandja Memorial in February for the first time ever by an Indian woman. She adopted a combative approach as a result of the terrible situations she had to confront; to put it in her own words, “Whatever occurs, I have to fight and do my best.”

Zareen will now focus on preparing for the Commonwealth Games trial, which will need her to lose weight to 50 kg. She’s already begun her preparations for the Paris Olympics, though she’s not certain which weight class she’ll compete in. She has a busy year ahead of her, and her goal is to avoid injury. People have compared her to Mary Kom, the woman who motivated her to take up boxing as a teenager. She said Mary Kom inspired her and a generation of Indian boxers, and she now aspires to follow in Mary Kom’s footsteps when she qualifies for and competes in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Her subsequent successes have only strengthened this position. And with Mary Kom’s age catching up with her, she is unlikely to stay in the sport for much longer; this puts the onus on Zareen to keep the Indian boxing flag flying high. Further, Zareen has demonstrated that female athletes challenge gender preconceptions and social standards, serve as motivating role models, and treat men and women equally.