Boxer Nikhat Zareen disappointed yet pleased with bronze show

Nikhat Zareen (in red) during her semi-final bout during the recently-concluded Bosphorus Boxing Tournament in Istanbul, Turkey.

India boxer Nikhat Zareen expected to win either a silver or a gold medal at the recently-concluded Bosphorus Boxing Tournament in Istanbul, Turkey. However, Zareen had to be content with a bronze as she lost to 2019 World Championship silver medallist Busenaz Cakiroglu of Turkey in the semi-final. Talking about her bronze medal-winning feat, Zareen told www-mid-day.com: "Honestly it's mixed feelings. I wanted a different colour medal especially after defeating two world champions. But I'm also pleased with my performance and I'll try to better it going forward."

En route her semis, Zareen defeated world champion Paltceva Ekaterina of Russia in pre-quarterfinals and two-time world champion Nazym Kyzaibay of Kazakhstan in quarter-finals. She considers her wins against the world champions as a huge boost. "Yes, I really enjoyed defeating the world champions. The experience was wonderful. I didn't imagine that I'll come back like this after a year of lockdown. It is a huge motivation and boost for me."

Now, the Asian championship bronze medallist wants to concentrate on training for next year's Birmingham Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. "I haven't thought about the tournaments I want to participate in next. I'm taking one step at time. My goal is to gain 100 per cent fitness level and improve my game so that I can be well prepared for the tournaments coming next year such as CWG and Asian Games."

Meanwhile, like many athletes across the globe, Zareen too was affected due to the COVID-19-caused global lockdown. "The pandemic had huge impact on my training schedule. Initially, it was difficult for me to adjust as I had no sufficient equipment to train. I used to train on my terrace. But the pandemic also gave me much-needed time to spend with my family since athletes don't get much of it [time] because our schedules," the Telangana-based boxer remarked.