Nikhat Zareen clinches gold at Women's World Boxing Championship; only 5th Indian to do so

India's top female boxer Nikhat Zareen scripted history on Thursday by registering an emphatic 5-0 victory over Jitpong Jutamas to become only the fifth Indian woman to win gold at the Women's World Boxing Championship. She defeated her Thai counterpart in the flyweight (52 kg) category in Istanbul on May 19.

Women's World Boxing Championship: India's Nikhat Zareen wins gold

Nikhat Zareen was utterly dominant against Jitpong Jutamas as she out-punched her Thai opponent to claim an outstanding unanimous 5-0 verdict. As a result of her monumental victory, she joins the elite list of six-time champions Mary Kom (2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2018), Sarita Devi (2006), Jenny RL (2006) and Lekha KC (2006) as the other boxers who have won the prestigious gold medal.

However, Zareen is not the only female boxer who will return home with a medal, as Manisha Moun and debutant Parveen Hooda won a bronze medal each in the 57 and 63 kg categories. A 12-member Indian contingent was sent to participate in the competition and while the medal haul has decreased by one, an Indian has been crowned world champion after four years. The last Indian woman to win gold was Mary Kom. The boxer from Manipur did so in the 48 kg category in the 2018 edition.

Who is Nikhat Zareen?

Nikhat Zareen was born on June 14, 1996, in the Nizamabad district of Andhra Pradesh, which is now in Telangana. She completed her primary education in Nizamabad and is currently pursuing a degree in Bachelor of Arts (BA) from the AV College in Hyderabad.

Her journey into boxing began when she was inducted into the Sports Authority of India (SAI) in Vishakapatnam to train under the Dronacharya awardee, IV Rao, in 2009. Her talent in the sport was there for everyone to see as she was also declared the 'golden best boxer' at the Erode Nationals in 2010.

From that point on, she has come a long way as she won the gold medal in the flyweight division of the AIBA Women's Junior and Youth World Boxing Championship before picking up a silver in the Youth World Boxing Championships in 2014. Since then she has won several medals, but none of them will mean as much as the gold medal at a Women's World Boxing Championship event.

(Inputs from PTI)