Tag Archives: Nikhat Zareen Gold Medallist

After Paris heartbreak, Nikhat Zareen roars back with World Boxing Cup Finals gold

Amazing Feats, Sports, Women/Girls(since May26-2021), World Opinion, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hyderabad, TELANGANA :

Nikhat clinched the women’s 51 kg gold medal at the 2025 World Boxing Cup Finals in Greater Noida.

Nikhat Zareen clinched the 51 Kg gold medal at the World Boxing Cup Finals 2025. (Photo Credits: The Bridge)

Greater Noida:

Star Indian boxer Nikhat Zareen has once again captured headlines after winning the gold medal at the 2025 World Boxing Cup Finals on Thursday.

The two-time World Champion delivered a commanding 5–0 victory over Guo Yi-xuan of Chinese Taipei in the women’s 51 kg final, returning to the top of the podium after 32 months.

Her last gold also came on home soil in 2023, when she clinched her second world title at the New Delhi World Championships.

“I always believe in manifestation, so I manifested that this time also, in India, I would repeat that. It’s always a pleasure to play in front of a home crowd, and today I did it,” Nikhat Zareen told the media after her win.

Bouncing back from two consecutive setbacks

Nikhat endured a difficult run in her last two major tournaments, the Paris Olympics and the World Boxing Championships, returning empty-handed from both.

At the Paris Games, competing as the reigning World Champion, she exited in the Round of 16 against eventual champion Wu Yu of China.

Later, at the 2025 World Championships in Liverpool, her first international event of the year, she fell in the quarterfinals to Turkiye’s Buse Naz Cakıroğlu.

Now, she has turned back the clock, returning to winning ways in front of her home crowd and putting behind her the disappointment of missing out on key medals.

“This medal is a big boost for my confidence. After a long time, I reached the final and won the gold. I’m very happy that I can once again compete as a gold medal contender,” Nikhat said, relieved to end her medal drought.

Nikhat also mentioned that she had very little time after the World Championships to prepare for this event. Within days, she shifted to Patiala to join the training camp.

“I spent a few days with my family, but then moved to Patiala for training since the Finals were in India and I didn’t want to disappoint fans. In Patiala, I sparred with boxers across weight categories, from 48 kg to 54 kg and even 57 kg, which helped me a lot,” she added.

Nikhat’s Road to the title

The World Cup Finals, expected to be a top-tier competition with the world’s best eight players in each weight category, did not fully live up to expectations as several major nations skipped the event.

In the women’s 51 kg category, only five boxers participated, which meant Nikhat received a bye in the quarterfinals and secured a medal without stepping into the ring.

Her campaign began in the semifinals against Uzbekistan’s Gulsevar Ganieva, where she won by unanimous decision to enter the final.

However, it wasn’t her most convincing bout, marked by frequent clinches and several clumsy falls near the ropes.

“The first bout was not as good as everyone expected, but I’m happy that I at least won and reached the final after so long,” Nikhat said after the semifinal.

In the final against Guo Yi-xuan, Nikhat looked much more composed, displaying sharper footwork and cleaner punches to seal the title at home.

“Today, I played against a boxer who moves a lot and is a counter-puncher. So I also opted for counter boxing instead of going all-out, which could have disadvantaged me,” Nikhat explained.

Future Plans

Nikhat shared that she often has to travel for training because there is no proper boxing academy near her home, something she now hopes to build herself for upcoming talent from Telangana.

“I mostly have to travel to Pune or IIS for training and don’t have a fixed location. So if the Telangana government allocates land, I will build my own academy where I can train and support rising boxers from the region,” she said.

This win may not carry immense competitive weight due to the limited field, but it has undoubtedly reignited her confidence after a challenging year.

With a packed 2026 season ahead, including major events like the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, Nikhat will aim to use this momentum to elevate her performance further.

Her parting words, “This is just the start, and a lot more has to be done,” reflect the grit and hunger she will need as she prepares to face stronger opponents on the global stage.

source: http://www.thebridge.in / The Bridge / Home> Boxing / by Deepanshu Jain / November 21st, 2025

10 Muslim Faces in Indian Sports after Independence

Amazing Feats, Leaders, Sports, Women/Girls(since May26-2021), , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

INDIA :

Indian Muslim sportspersons

New Delhi :

After the partition and independence of India, the contribution of Muslim faces in Indian sports is a fascinating story. It also sends a clear message that, despite the communal division of the country, all avenues remained open for Muslims in India. The nation saluted talent, not religion. The contribution of Muslims in the field of sports should be the subject of a dedicated book.

However, in this article, we present the 10 most successful Muslim sportspersons of India.

Nawab Mansoor Ali Khan

Nawab Mansoor Ali Khan

Cricket, the most popular sport in the country, has a long list of Muslim players like Ghulam Ahmed, Salim Durani, Abbas Ali Baig, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, Farooq Engineer, Syed Abid Ali, Syed Mustafa Hussain, Syed Kirmani, Ghulam Ahmed Hassan, Mohammad Azharuddin, Arshad Ayub, Zaheer Khan, Syed Saba Karim, Mohammad Kaif, Irfan Pathan, Munaf Patel, Wasim Jaffer, Yusuf Pathan, Mohammad Shami, Mohammad Siraj, and Sarfaraz Khan.

However, one of the initial cricketers, who happened to be a Muslim and shone like a star, was Nawab Mansoor Ali Khan, known as “Tiger Pataudi”. He became the youngest Test captain in the history of the game. He represented India in 46 Tests and scored 2793 runs.

In March 1962, he became the youngest Test captain at the age of 21 years and 77 days against the West Indies. His notable achievements include leading India to their first overseas Test match victory in New Zealand in 1968, which was also their first overseas Test series win.

Despite losing vision in his right eye in a car accident in England in 1961, Pataudi proved his mettle on the cricket field. Even today, Tiger Pataudi commands the same respect and popularity in Indian cricket as he did in the past.

Mohammad Azharuddin

Mohammad Azharuddin

Another Muslim cricketer, Mohammad Azharuddin, nicknamed “Indian cricket’s wonder boy,” earned this title right at the beginning of his Test career. In his debut series against England in 1984, he scored three consecutive centuries — a feat yet to be repeated.

Azharuddin played 99 Tests and 334 One Day Internationals for India. As captain, he led the team to victory in the 1990-91 and 1995 Asia Cups and reached the semi-finals of the 1996 Cricket World Cup. He captained India in three Cricket World Cups during the 1990s, which remains a record.

Syed Shahid Hakim

Syed Shahid Hakim receiving award from President Ram Nath Kovind

Once, India was a contender for the top slot in the World Cup Football and the Olympics. Though the situation has deteriorated, the list of Muslim footballers Taj Mohammad, Ahmed Khan, Yusuf Khan, B.P. Saleh, Syed Naeemuddin, Noor Mohammad, Rahmat, T. Abdur Rahman, Mohammad Habib, Mohammad Akbar, and Latifuddin come to the fore.

However, Syed Shahid Hakim comes across as one of the brightest and enduring football player of the post-independent India. He is son of Syed Abdul Rahim, who was once the coach of Indian Football team. A former Squadron Leader in the Indian Air Force, S.S. Hakim’s international career highlight was the 1960 Rome Olympics. Although India didn’t progress beyond the group stage, a 1-1 draw against France was nothing short of a feat.

Following in his father’s footsteps, Hakim turned to coaching and later served as an assistant coach of the Indian national team. He was also a FIFA referee and officiated in the 1988 AFC Asian Cup held in Qatar.

Mohammad Shahid

Mohammad Shahid

In Hockey, a sport once dominated by India, several Muslim players made a mark on the game, including Akhtar Hussain, Aslam Sher Khan, Mohammad Shahid, and Zafar Iqbal.

Among them, Mohammad Shahid from Banaras earned the most fame. His wizardry in the 1970s and 80s — marked by agility and magical dribbling — turned him into a star at a very young age.

He was part of the team that won gold at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, silver in the 1982 Asian Games, and bronze in the 1986 Asian Games. He also played in the 1981-82 World Cup, the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, and the 1988 Seoul Games. He captained the Indian team during 1985-86 and announced his retirement from international hockey in January 1989.

Sania Mirza

Sania Mirza

Sania Mirza is the only Indian woman to break into the top 100 in singles and later became World No. 1 in doubles in Tennis. She won six Grand Slam titles — three in women’s doubles and three in mixed doubles.

Between 2003 and her singles retirement in 2013, she won 43 titles and spent 91 weeks as World No. 1 in doubles. Sania also won 14 medals (including six golds) in the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, and Afro-Asian Games. In 2007, she achieved her career-high singles ranking of 27, the highest ever for an Indian woman. In April 2015, she became the World No. 1 in WTA doubles rankings — the first Indian to reach the top.

Syed Modi

Syed Modi

In Badminton, Syed Modi has been the most successful and popular Muslim player. He is regarded as one of the most successful Indian badminton players, winning the National Championship eight consecutive times from 1980 to 1987 — a historic feat.

He also won a gold medal in men’s singles at the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games and international titles such as the Austria International (1983 & 1984) and the USSR International (1985). In 1988, Syed Modi was tragically shot dead in Lucknow.

Nikhat Zareen

Nikhat Zareen

Nikhat Zareen is the shining star of Indian women’s Boxing. Nikhat became a boxing sensation after winning gold at the 2011 Women’s Junior and Youth World Boxing Championships. She won silver at the 2019 Asian Championships in Bangkok, gold at the 2022 World Championships in Istanbul, and gold at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

In 2023, she won another gold at the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championship in New Delhi, becoming only the second Indian woman to achieve the feat twice. She also won bronze at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou and secured a quota for India at the Paris Olympics, where she reached the Round of 16 in 2024.

Shama Parveen

Shama Parveen

Indian men and women have dominated Kabaddi in the world. Among Muslim women, the most prominent name Kabaddi layer is Shama Parveen from Bihar, who began her career in 2008.

She has won several honors at different levels. She was part of the Indian team that won gold at the 2017 Asian Kabaddi Championship.

Nasreen Sheikh

Nasreen Sheikh

Nasreen Sheikh of Delhi captained the Indian women’s kho-kho team and became the second player in this sport to receive the Arjuna Award. She led the Indian women’s team in the South Asian Games, where India won gold. She was also part of the Indian team that won the inaugural Kho-Kho World Cup held in January 2025 in New Delhi.

India defeated South Korea, Iran, and Malaysia in the group stage, beat Bangladesh in the quarterfinals, South Africa in the semifinals, and thrashed Nepal 78-40 in the final. For her performance, she was awarded the

Alisha Abdullah

Alisha Abdullah

In Motorsports, Alisha Abdullah stands out among women. Alisha, known as India’s fastest car racer and the country’s first female bike racing champion, was born in Chennai in 1989. She was passionate about racing from a young age. In 2004, she ranked among the top five in the JK Tyre National Racing Championship. With her father’s support, she transitioned from car to bike racing.

However, after a serious accident in 2010 while riding a bike, she returned to car racing. She is the first female motorsports star in the country to receive a Presidential Award.

In Motorsports, Alisha Abdullah stands out among women. Alisha, known as India’s fastest car racer and the country’s first female bike racing champion, was born in Chennai in 1989. She was passionate about racing from a young age. In 2004, she ranked among the top five in the JK Tyre National Racing Championship. With her father’s support, she transitioned from car to bike racing.

However, after a serious accident in 2010 while riding a bike, she returned to car racing. She is the first female motorsports star in the country to receive a Presidential Award.

source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> The Changemakers / by Aasha Khosa, ATV / August 06th, 2025

Nikhat Zareen receives Arjuna Award

Amazing Feats, Sports, Women/Girls(since May26-2021), , , , , , ,

Hyderabad, TELANGANA:

Nikhat Zarin receiving the Arjuna Award from President Draupadi Murmu
Nikhat Zarin receiving the Arjuna Award from President Draupadi Murmu

New Delhi:

The newest Indian sportsperson to make a splash on the global scene and the world Boxing champion Nikhat Zareen was conferred the Arjuna Award by president Draupadi Murmu in a glittering ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan on Wednesday.

The President gave away the National Sports Awards 2022 and National Adventure Awards 2021. The National awards are given every year to encourage and honour outstanding sportspersons.

This time, 25 sportspersons were given Arjuna Awards. Telangana sportsperson Nikhat Zarin, who recently won the World Boxing Championship one among them.

She expressed her joy and gratitude at the award on social media.

President Draupadi Murmu awarded the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award, 2021 – to Neena Dhakad. She is the first Indian woman to climb Mount Everest and Mount Lhotse. She accomplished this feat in less than 10 days.

President Murmu presented Dronacharya Award 2022 to Sujit Mann, wrestling coach. He has trained many outstanding racing athletes including Bajrang Punia.

Nikhat Zareen displaying her award

Dronacharya Award was also conferred on Soma Siddharth Shrur, who has trained top shooting athletes including Oni Lekhra, Ishwari Pratap Singh Tomar, and Sunidhi Chauhan; Jeonjot Singh Teja, archery coach. The latter has trained Harvinder Singh, Raj Kaur, Rajat Chauhan, and Maskan Kher.

Raj Singh, the wrestling coach, who was honoured, has trained Yogeshwar Dutt, Sanjay, Ashok Kumar, and Umair.

Bimal Prafla Ghosh, the football coach has also been conferred the Dronacharya award.

Dinesh Jawahar Lad was awarded for his achievements in cricket coaching. He has trained Rohit Sharma, Shardul Thakur, Harmeet Singh Budhan, and Sudhish Lad.

BC Suresh received Dhyan Chand 2022 for his achievements in Kabaddi – Gold Medal in World Cup, 2004 and Gold Medal in Asian Games, 2002 –

Dharamveer Singh got the award for his achievements in hockey.

President awarded the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy, 2022 to Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar for best all-around performance in sports.

Others who received the award are:

Dhyan Chand Award: Ashwini Akunji Chidananda (Athletics)

Arjuna Award: Jarlan Anika J (Deaf Badminton)

Arjuna Award:  Sopanal Sanjay Patil (para swimming)

Arjuna Award: Tarun Dhillon (Para-Badminton)

Arjuna Award: Parveen (Wushu)

Arjuna Award: Sarita (Wrestling)

source: http://www.awaazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Story / by ATV / posted by Aasha Khosa / January 2023

Boxing: Fit-again Nikhat Zareen, Sumit Sangwan clinch gold in Belgrade International

Sports, World Opinion, , , , ,

Nizamabad District, TELANGANA  :

Himanshu Sharma bagged the other gold medal in the 49 kg.

Twitter/Nikhat Zareen
Twitter/Nikhat Zareen

Returning to action after a long injury-lay off, Sumit Sangwan (91kg) and Nikhat Zareen (51kg) were among the three gold-medallists in India’s stupendous campaign at the 56th Belgrade International Boxing Tournament in Serbia.

India ended the tournament with three gold, five silver and five bronze medals in all.

Continuing his fine comeback from a wrist injury, Sumit, an Asian silver-medallist, defeated Ecuador’s Castillo Torres in a unanimous 5-0 verdict to claim the top honours on Saturday night.

Former junior world champion Nikhat, also returning to action after recovering from a shoulder injury, notched up a 5-0 win over Greece’s Koutsoeorgopoulou Aikaterini to pick up a morale-boosting gold.

Also claiming a gold was Himanshu Sharma (49kg), who defeated Algeria’s Mohammed Touareg 5-0 in his final bout.

Signing off with silver medals among women were Jamuna Boro (54kg) and Ralte Lalfakmawii (+81kg). While Jamuna lost to local favourite Andjela Brankovic 1-4, Lalfakmawii went down 2-3 to Turkey’s Demir Sennur.

In the men’s draw, Laldinmawia (52kg), Varinder Singh (56kg) and Pawan Kumar (69kg) had to be content with silver medals.

Laldinmawia was beaten 0-5 by Korea’s Kim Inkyn, Varinder lost 2-3 to Brazillian Arilson Goncalves.

Pawan was also defeated in a split verdict, going down 1-4 to Croatia’s Petar Cetinic.

Earlier, Narender (+91kg) had fetched a bronze in the men’s competition. In the women’s competition, Rajesh Narwal (48kg), Priyanka Thakur (60kg), Rumi Gogoi (75kg) and Nirmala Rawat (81kg) had settled for bronze medals.

source: http://www.scroll.in / Scroll.in / Home> The Field> Indian Sport / Press Trust of India / April 29th, 2018

Punching her way to Rio Olympics

Sports, World Opinion, , , , ,

India sat up and took notice when this 17-year-old girl from small-town Nizamabad punched her way to the gold medal at the Third Nations Cup International Boxing Tournament in Serbia earlier this month. Meet Nikhat Zareen, who is being hailed as the next Mary Kom for the striking similarities in their sparring styles and has won four medals in just four years of taking up the sport, including gold in the Women’s Junior and Youth World Championship in Turkey in 2011 and silver medals in Bulgaria and Serbia in 2013. The third child of a family of four girls from an orthodox Muslim family, Nikhat tells Siva G of TOI, about the trials and tribulations of taking up a traditionally male-dominated sport and how her goal is to grab a gold in the 2016 Rio Olympics, for which she has changed her weight category from 54 kgs to 51 kgs and is focusing on 2014 championships to make the cut.

How and why did you take up boxing, considered a masculine sport?

Even before taking up boxing, I was an athlete. I won six medals in different athletic events at the school level and also the best sports person award in sixth standard. I decided to switch to boxing after I found that nobody was taking it up in school. When I asked my father why girls don’t participate in boxing, he said girls do not have the strength to fight. That’s when I decided to take up boxing and show the world that girls too can spar just like boys. I started boxing in 2009 and won the best boxer award at the national level the very next year. So far, I have won two gold and silver medals each in international championships. I have now changed my weight category from 54 kgs to 51 kgs, because only three weight categories for women are allowed in the 2016 Olympics.

Did you face any resistance from your family and community?

I am the third of four girl children. My father Jameel Ahmed, a real estate businessman, is my strength. He used to take me for practice on his moped and always stayed behind for practice. My mother, Parveen Sultana, was very upset as she felt that if I received any injuries on my nose, ears or head, nobody will marry me. I told her that if I get name and fame, everything will come to my doorstep and even marriage will not be a problem. She used to cry on seeing my face bleed during practice sessions with boys because there were no girls to fight with. Relatives from my father’s side too raised objections as they felt girls should not join a sport like boxing due to the danger of facial injuries. But nothing has happened to me so far. We wear protective gear while fighting.

Did your decision to take up boxing cause any problems in school or college?

My school friends at Nirmal Hriday used to tease me, saying don’t crack jokes against Nikhat, she will beat you to pulp. I told them that I am a boxer, not a street fighter as I box only in the ring and not on the streets. It was only after I started winning medals in national and international tournaments that they started to appreciate my talent and the fact that a girl from a small place like Nizamabad had made it big. Seeing my success, my relatives and people of Nizamabad are now encouraging girls to take up male dominated sports like boxing. A majority of people in my home town belong to the Muslim community but are now ready to let their daughters take up sports. Unfortunately, we don’t have any facilities in the district to nurture talent. If we have good stadiums with better equipment, girls will shine in sports.

How important is it for girls to learn sports like boxing and karate given the rise in crimes against women? What will you do if somebody tries to tease or molest you on the road?

I will teach them a lesson by beating them black and blue. I won’t spare anybody trying to take advantage of women. Girls face such experiences on the roads every other day, which is why I feel they should learn self-defence techniques or a sport like boxing or karate to develop self confidence and fitness to fight their attackers. Women should be alert on the roads and have the courage to face the odds. The government should also make self-defence compulsory in school and college.

What are your strong and weak points in the game?

Frankly speaking, I don’t know. My coach, Dronacharya awardee I Venkateswara Rao feels I am ready to take any risk in the ring. He feels I am very good at throwing a combination of punches and have a good sense of the game. He tells me that I am a technical boxer but need to improve my strength. I have never been afraid of my opponents. Once I step into the ring, my only aim is to defeat them. I got a chance to improve my game under coach Rao after joining the Sport Authority of India (SAI) hostel in Visakhapatnam in 2012.

Seniors see in you another Mary Kom thanks to your style of boxing. Comments

There may be a few similarities between us but there is a lot that is different too. She is a very experienced boxer, while I am still learning. Her willpower and technique are far greater than mine. She has strived hard for years to reach the top and I wish to reach that position by winning medals for the country. So, please don’t compare with me with Mary Kom at this point.

What is the biggest challenge you are facing now?

In the Serbia championship recently, I fought in the 51kg category for the first time. The quarterfinals and finals were tough as I was up against tough Russian opponents. Losing weight reduced some of the power in my punches but I made up for it with speed and technique. Now, my main focus is on honing my punching power, as competition is tougher in the new weight category. We are training to take on opponents from Russia, China, Bulgaria and Kazakhstan.

What is your next goal?

I wish to bring home a gold medal in the 2016 Olympics. To bag a place in the Indian Olympic team, I am concentrating on the World Championship in Sofia in Bulgaria and Youth Olympics to be held in China this year. This year is very crucial as it is my performance in these two events that will decide whether I get a place in the Indian team.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Sports> Boxing / TNN / January 20th, 2014