Nikhat Zareen is an Indian boxer and a two-time World Champion who recently faced a knee injury, resulting in a rehabilitation period of three to four months. Zareen’s journey has been full of challenges, but she always bounced back stronger. In 2018, she dislocated her shoulder, which needed surgery, causing her to miss the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. She then proceeded to make her debut at the Olympics in 2024 in Paris however, she faced a disappointing early exit in the round of 16. She sustained her knee injury after her exit from the Paris Olympics, which was an extremely demotivating experience.
The good news is that the recent inclusion of boxing in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics has regained hope in her eyes, and now the 28-year-old boxing sensation is ready to make a comeback in May. On a confident note, she said, “So, I will be back in May,”
Reflecting on her injury and her painful experience at the Paris Olympics, Nikhat Zareen shared, “ No one moves on so quickly in life, Nobody moves on from what they have gone through. But I have accepted it, it’s okay to lose. Now it’s time to focus on future and move on from that. I had a minor injury (meniscus) which required 3-4 months of rehab. It’s fine now but obviously, if you want to enter the competition circuit, you need to have ring endurance.”
She further added about her hope of winning an Olympic medal, “After Paris, I was really heartbroken. People were saying that boxing is not included in the LA Olympics. So, I felt that my dream of winning the Olympics medal is over. But when I got the news yesterday, I got hope that I have another chance to represent India at the Olympics. I have another chance to fulfil my dream.”
Regarding her future endeavours, she said, “My main focus will be on the World Championship and also the World Cup which India is hosting.”
The National Championships are the first events in the women’s boxing genre since the Olympics in August, though she will not be participating in the event due to her recovery from the knee injury. Nikhat Zareen also shared her thoughts, motivating athletes to not give up after a loss and said, “An athlete, a boxer should not stay away from the competition because a feeling of detachment arises. That feeling should not come for any athlete like it has for me after Paris … but for me, it’s due to injury,”
We await the comeback of the Indian boxing sensation, Nikhat Zareen as she recovers from her injury.
Also Read: Boxing To Feature In Los Angeles Olympic Games 2028
