Nikhat Zareen is an Indian boxer. She won the gold medal at the International Boxing Association Junior & Junior Women’s World Championship organized in Antalya in 2011. In 2019, she participated in the 2nd India Open International Boxing Championship organized in Guwahati and won the bronze medal. Nikhat Zareen won the gold medal in 2022 at the Women’s World Championships in the 52kg category held in Turkey.
Wiki/Biography
Nikhat Zareen was born on Friday, 14 June 1996 (age 27 years; in 2023) in Nizamabad district, Telangana, India. His zodiac sign is Gemini. Nikhat Zareen completed her school education at Nirmala Hrudaya Girls High School, Nizamabad. Later, he went to AV College in Hyderabad, Telangana to pursue his bachelor’s degree in Arts.
Physical appearance
Height (approx): 5′ 7″
Weight: 51 kg
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
His father’s name is Mohammad Jameel Ahmed, and he is an estate agent.
Nikhat Zareen with her father
His mother’s name is Parveen Sultana.
Nikhat Zareen with her mother
He has three younger sisters.
Nikhat Zareen (white-blue suit) with her three sisters
He has three younger sisters. His two sisters are doctors. The names of her two sisters are Anjum Minaaz and Afnan Zareen.
Husband
He is not married.
religion
He follows Islam.
Career
Nikhat Zareen was registered by her father at the Sports Authority of India (Vishakhapatnam) in 2009. There, she was trained in boxing under awardee Dronacharya IV Rao. The following year, Nikhat Zareen was announced as the ‘golden best boxer’ at the Erode Nationals. In 2011, she participated in the AIBA Junior and Junior Women’s World Boxing Championships held in Turkey and won the gold medal by defeating her rival Ulku Demir from Turkey. In 2014, he participated in the Youth World Boxing Championships held in Bulgaria and won a silver medal. On 12 January 2014, Nikhat Zareen participated in the third Nations Cup International Boxing Championship held in Novi Sad, Serbia in the 51 kg weight category and won the gold medal by defeating her opponent Paltceva Ekaterina from Russia. In 2015, she won the gold medal in the 16th Senior Women’s National Boxing Championship held in Assam.
Nikhat Zareen after winning the boxing final in 2015
Nikhat Zareen clinched the silver medal in 2019 at the Thailand Open International Boxing Championship held in Bangkok. In the same year, he won the gold medal at the Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament held in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Nikhat Zareen after winning the boxing tournament in 2019
The Bank of India zonal office at AC Guards, Hyderabad appointed Nikhat Zareen as its staff officer on 19 June 2021. In 2022, she won the gold after defeating Ukraine’s ‘Tetiana Kob’, a three-time European Championship medalist, in the 73rd Strandja Memorial Championships Boxing in Sofia, Bulgaria. In the same tournament, Nikhat Zareen beat Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Buse Naz Çakıroğlu in the semi-finals. On May 19, 2022, Nikhat Zareen participated in the Women’s World Championships held in Istanbul, Turkey, and she won the gold medal in the 52kg category after defeating her opponent Jitpong Jutamas from Thailand. By winning this event, Nikhat Zareen added her name to the top five female boxers in India including Mary Kom, Laishram Sarita Devi, Jenny RL, and Lekha KC
Nikhat Zareen after winning the World Championship in 2022
On 26 March 2023, she won gold at the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi, defeating Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Tam in the 48-50 kg final; she became the second Indian after Mary Kom to win more than 0ne World Boxing Championships.
Nikhat Zareen after winning gold at the 2023 IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi
Award
In 2014, Nikhat was appointed as the official ambassador of his hometown Nizamabad, Telangana. In 2016, Nikhat Zareen won the “New India Express DEVI Award,” presented to her by Union minister M.Venkaiah Naidu.
Nikhat Zareen received the New India Express DEVI Award in 2016
In 2015, he won the ‘Best Boxer’ in the All India Inter-University Boxing Tournament, Jalandhar, India. In 2019, he was the winner of the JFW award for Excellence in Sports.
Controversy
- In 2019, Mary Kom’s automatic selection for the World Championship was contested by Nikhat Zareen.
- In May 2022, he shared a photo on Twitter where he was seen with Mary Kom. In 2019, the Mary Kom vs. Nikhat Zareen fight in the women’s boxing trials came into focus after Nikhat Zareen publicly demanded a fair Olympic selection trial. After winning the fight, Mary Kom did not shake hands with her opponent Nikhat Zareen and said,
Why should I shake his hand? If he wants others to respect him then he should respect others first. I don’t like people with such traits. Just prove your point in the ring, not outside.”
Nikhat Zareen with Mary Kom
Favourite
Car Collection
Mahindra presented her with a Thar SUV following her victory at the 2023 IBA Women’s World Boxing Championship in New Delhi. Reportedly, he canceled his plans to buy a Mercedes after he was gifted a Thar SUV by Mahindra.
Nikhat Zareen with Thar SUV gifted by Mahindra
Facts/Trivia
- He follows a non-vegetarian diet.
- Nikhat Zareen’s father moved to Nizamabad in India after working for 15 years as a sales assistant in Saudi Arabia. Later, he helped Nikhat and his younger sister choose sports.
- Nikhat Zareen started taking boxing lessons from her father right after completing her eighth standard. In a media conversation, Nikhat’s father recalled that Nikhat once asked him why other sports have more women as participants than in boxing and Nikhat’s father replied,
Kyunki kisi ke paas itna dum nahi hai.”
Soon after hearing the answer, Nikhat Zareen decided to become a professional boxer. In an interview with a media house, he said,
That’s when I decided what I had to do and I told my father that I wanted to show people that a girl can also box.”
- According to Nikhat Zareen, her father inspired her to take up boxing. In an interview with a media house, her father stated that there are some restrictions for girls in Islam, but as a sportsperson himself, he motivated his daughter to win the gold medal at the Rio Olympics which was missed by Mary Kom at the Games London Olympics. He said,
There are prohibitions in Islam. But, having been a sportsman myself, I believe there is no religion in sports. I told Nikhat that Mary Kom missed the gold medal in the London Games, but I want you to emulate her in Rio.”
- In 2017, Nikhat Zareen did not participate in any of the national boxing camps and tournaments as she suffered a shoulder injury.
- The sports brand ‘Adidas’ appointed Nikhat Zareen as its brand ambassador in 2018. In her training and boxing training, Nikhat Zareen is supported by the Welspun group. He is a member of the Sports Authority of India’s Targeted Olympic Podium Scheme.
- Nikhat Zareen has three younger sisters, and two of her older sisters are doctors. Nikhat’s younger brother is a badminton player. According to Nikhat’s father, when Nikhat was thirteen years old, he told his family members that he wanted to join boxing as a sport and play for India. In a conversation with a media house, his father recounted that shortly after he wanted to join boxing, his family members allowed him to participate in the same sport; however, some relatives are against the same. He said,
But sometimes, relatives or friends will tell us that a girl can’t play sports where she has to wear shorts. But we know that whatever Nikhat wants, we will support his dreams.”
- Nikhat Zareen is a fitness enthusiast. He goes to the gym every day and regularly posts pictures of his workout sessions on various social media platforms.
Nikhat Zareen during exercise
- In a conversation with a media house, Nikhat’s father revealed that he always visits national and international boxing events with Nikhat because he needs to take care of his diet and health. He stated,
I monitor his diet and most importantly want to see him train well. I like to point out his weaknesses after the fight and discuss with him how to improve. He felt encouraged by my presence. It will be a ‘two man show’.”
- Some famous Indian magazines and tabloids often cover Nikhat Zareen in their articles.
Nikhat Zareen on the magazine cover
- Nikhat Zareen regularly posts her pictures and videos on various social media platforms. Over 76k people follow his Instagram account. On Facebook, he is followed by more than 22k people.
- Nikhat Zareen’s uncle’s name is Samsamuddin. He has two sons named Etheshamuddin and Itishamuddni, who are national level boxers.
- Sports minister V. Srinivas Goud and the Telangana State Sports Authority (SATS) presented Nikhat Zareen with an electric scooter and a cash award of Rs 10,000 for his contribution to Indian athletics in 2020.
- Nikhat Zareen is an animal lover. He has a pet cat named Leo. Nikhat often posts pictures of her pet cat on various social media platforms.
Nikhat Zareen with her pet cat
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
