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Nikhat Zareen Wins Gold At Women’s World Boxing Championships

India’s Nikhat Zareen won the gold medal at Women’s World Boxing Championships, defeating Thailand’s Jitpong Jutamas in 52kg final.

Nikhat Zareen Wins Gold At Womenโ€™s World Boxing Championships
Source: twitter.com/@nikhat_zareen

In the final of the Women’s World Championship in Istanbul on Thursday, May 19, Indian boxer Nikhat Zareen claimed the desired gold in the flyweight (52kg) division with a 5-0 victory over Thailand’s Jitpong Jutamas. The Telangana boxer defeated her Thai opponent by unanimous decision, winning 30-27, 29-28, 29-28, 30-27, 29-28.

“I didn’t expect to win (by such a big margin) in the final. I wanted to win unanimously,” Zareen told reporters later. “I aimed to play the first two rounds so that I win by unanimous decision and then relax in the third, but I got a spilt decision score in the final so I had to go all out in the third round,” she added. Zareen, who won bronze at the Asian Championships in 2019, is only the fifth Indian boxer to win the world title.

Mary Kom (2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2018), Sarita Devi (2006), Jenny RL (2006), and Lekha KC (2006) are the other pugilists who have won the world title six times each. India hasn’t won a gold medal in four years. In 2018, Mary Kom (48kg) won the last title. In the 2019 edition of the tournament, the renowned Mary Kom competed in the flyweight division. The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) had denied Zareen a trial, opting instead to base their decision on Mary Kom’s steady performances, and Mary Kom won her eighth world medal, a bronze.

Jutamas got off to a stronger start than Zareen, but Zareen quickly caught up and took the lead. The first round was evenly matched, but Zareen’s punches were more powerful. She easily won the first round, but Jutamas came back strongly in the second. The Thai fighter used her extended reach to parry Zareen’s assaults from a distance while still scoring punches herself.

There was little between the two boxers, but Zareen’s tremendous right hand and brilliant combinations in the final round sealed the deal.

Zareen will now focus on training for the Commonwealth Games trial, which will need her to lose weight and drop to 50kgs. Zareen has now defeated Jutamas for the second time. She has previously defeated the Thai boxer at the Thailand Open in 2019. This year, the pugilist from Hyderabad has been on fire. In February, she made history by being the first Indian woman boxer to win two gold medals at the prestigious Strandja Memorial.

Congratulations Nikhat Zareen for a Gold medal win at the Women’s World Boxing Championship and also Manisha Moun and Parveen Hooda for their Bronze medals.

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Written by Shreya

As much as I love reading as a human and a literature student, writing always creates a safe space for me. Through my writings, it feels I can be transparent with myself and my emotions. Love writing on topics - current affairs, entertainment and travel.

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