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."