In a stunning upset at the Olympic Games, two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen (50kg) was decisively defeated 0-5 by Asian Games gold medallist Wu Yu of China on Thursday. The bout, which many expected Nikhat to dominate, turned out to be overwhelmingly in favor of the top-seeded Yu.
Nikhat, one of India’s strongest medal contenders, faced a daunting draw at the Olympics, unseeded due to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) not recognizing the International Boxing Association (IBA). This lack of seeding added to the challenge, and Nikhat struggled against Yu’s superior speed and footwork.
“Sorry guys,” an emotional Nikhat said after her loss. “It was a learning experience for me. I had not played her before. She was faster. I will analyze this bout once I am home. I was unseeded and this wasn’t my first match; she was playing her first, it also impacts. It was an intense bout. I had worked hard, prepared myself physically and mentally for this Olympics. I will come back strong.”
The match started with Yu quickly putting Nikhat under pressure. Nikhat’s attempts to counter-attack were thwarted by Yu’s brilliant footwork, allowing her to evade blows and land precise punches. Trailing 1-4 in the first round, Nikhat found some success in the second round with a few straight punches but Yu continued to dominate with effective hooks and nimble movements.
“She was not attacking much and my punches were going in the air. There was no point keep doing that and lose energy. I had to wait. I wanted to do better in Round 1 and 2,” said the 28-year-old Nikhat.
Nikhat, who moved down from her preferred 52kg weight division for the Paris Olympics, faced additional challenges with weight cut and recovery. “I had not eaten in the last two days for weight cut. I had not recovered and played first bout. If I had won, the effort would have been appreciated but it will now look like an excuse. I gave my best,” she added.
Despite this setback, Nikhat remains one of the most consistent Indian boxers, with back-to-back gold medals at the world championships and the 2022 Commonwealth Games, a bronze at the Asian Games last year, and a silver at the prestigious Strandja Memorial tournament in February.
With this loss, Nikhat becomes the fourth boxer out of the six-member Indian contingent to be knocked out of the Paris Games. Former world number one Amit Panghal (51kg), Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Jaismine Lamboria (57kg), and Asian Games bronze winner Preeti Pawar (54kg) have also exited the competition. Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain (75kg) and worlds bronze winner Nishant Dev (71kg) remain in contention, each one win away from confirming medals.
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