After months of uncertainty and heartbreak following the Paris Olympics, Indian boxing icon Nikhat Zareen is once again lacing up her gloves, this time with her eyes firmly set on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
The 28-year-old, a two-time World Champion, has been sidelined due to a knee injury and a period of ambiguity over the sport’s Olympic future, but a renewed sense of purpose is pushing her back into the ring.
“After Paris, I was heartbroken that my dreams of an Olympic medal are over. But then we got the news that boxing is included in LA and now there is renewed hope,” Nikhat shared during the Women’s National Championships in Greater Noida. “I hope to not repeat the mistakes of Paris but there is a lot of time for that.”
Nikhat has been recovering from a meniscus tear she suffered post-Olympics, undergoing rehab at the Pullela Gopichand Academy for several months. Since January, she has been training at the Army Sports Institute in Pune under SAI coach Sunny Ghalawat and is targeting a competitive return by May.
“Post Paris, I was not sure if boxing would be there so I was not putting pressure on myself either to get back to competition, I was taking it slow. But now I am happy,” she said, also pointing to the confusion surrounding boxing’s global administration.
With World Boxing now recognised as the sport’s new international governing body, there’s renewed clarity and direction.
Nikhat believes time away from the ring affects an athlete’s connection with the sport. “An athlete should not be away from competition for long because then there is a feeling of disconnect… In my case, it’s because of injury. If I was fit I would have definitely participated here.”
Looking ahead, she aims to compete in the World Boxing Cups in Kazakhstan and Czech Republic, and is building up to the World Championships in September and the season finale of the World Boxing Cup at home. “I want to take it one competition at a time… next year there will be Asian Games and the CWG,” she added.
Nikhat, often viewed as Mary Kom’s spiritual successor, is now inspiring a new generation. “It feels nice young girls are coming up, taking pictures and looking up to me. I did the same with Mary Kom,” she said. Still, the sting of Paris lingers. “You just don’t move on so easily… But you have to accept it, focus on the future and work harder.”
