Nikhat dreams of Olympic glory

It has been a great homecoming for Nizamabad native, 17-year-old Nikhat Zareen, the prodigiously gifted boxing talent fresh from achieving international glory.

She created history of sorts when she won the silver in the 54kg category of the AIBA Women’s Youth World Boxing Championships at Albena in Bulgaria on Saturday. This was a brilliant effort after the

fly-weight division gold she won as a 15-year-old in the first edition of the AIBA Women’s Junior & Youth World Boxing Championship in 2011.

She arrived in Hyderabad to a good felicitation early Tuesday morning. In an interaction with the media, Zareen said that ‘it has been a proud moment for me although the failure to bring the yellow metal home will haunt me because I missed it by the proverbial whisker.’

Looking fresh, and accompanied by her father, she said that ‘my elders have drawn a roadmap which entails that I assiduously pursue the future strategies by working out on my strengths and weaknesses.’

She is all set to embark on the next assignment, the nationals slated to be held next month in Shimla.

Zareen, who is now competing in the bantam weight youth category, is already thinking of next year’s international fixtures.

A pupil of the Visakhapatnam-based coach, Venkateshwarlu, Zareen, hopes that she would make a mark in course of time and peak for Rio in 2016.

‘I hope to do well in April’s qualifiers and thereafter in the Youth Olympics in July. I will be leaving for Visakhapatnam in two to three days where I will undergo rigorous practice under my coach,’ she said while explaining that her hard work has paid dividends.

Meanwhile, good tidings have come courtesy of Rajeev Trivedi, ADGP (Sports) when she met him in the city.

‘Trivedi sir has bolstered my confidence by stating that I can join the department. However, he has advised me to move to New Delhi and subsequently join the Army where women boxers get more opportunities to showcase their talent,’ said Zareen, a second year MPC student who idolizes Mohd Ali and Mary Kom.

Unfortunately, for her, she is yet to get any monetary rewards from the government of the day despite the fame she has achieved in a male dominated rugged sport.