Nikhat Zareen Height, Age, Boyfriend, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About Nikhat Zareen

• Nikhat Zareen is an Indian boxer who was the winner of the International Boxing Association (amateur) Women’s Youth & Junior World Championships held in Antalya in 2011. In 2019, Nikhat Zareen won the bronze at the 2nd India Open International Boxing Tournament organised in Guwahati. In 2022, in the 52kg category at the Women’s World Championship organised in Turkey, Nikhat Zareen won a gold medal.

• Soon after finishing her eighth class final examinations, Nikhat Zareen took boxing training from her father for a year. Once, she asked her father why all other sports categories in Urban Games had women participants except boxing. He then replied,
  

  Kyunki kisi ke paas itna dum nahi hai.”

  Soon after listening to his reply, Nikhat Zareen decided to opt for boxing. In a conversation with a media house, she stated,

  It was then I decided what I had to do and I told my father that I want to show people that a girl could box too.”

• Nikhat Zareen’s father worked as a sales assistant in Saudi Arabia for 15 years before he decided to shift to Nizamabad in India to support his daughters in sports and studies.

• In 2009, her father enrolled her in the Sports Authority of India (Vishakhapatnam), where she started training by Dronacharya awardee IV Rao. In 2010, she was announced as the ‘golden best boxer’ at the Erode Nationals.

• Her father believes that sports has no religion, and that was why he motivated Nikhat to win gold in Rio Olympics, which was earlier missed by noted Indian woman boxer Mary Kom. He told her,
  

  There are restrictions in the Islamic religion. But, having been a sportsman myself, I believe there is no religion in sports. I tell Nikhat that Mary Kom missed the gold in London Games, but I want you to emulate that in Rio.”

• Nikhat Zareen won the gold medal at the AIBA Women’s Junior and Youth World Boxing Championship that was held in Turkey in 2011. She defeated her opponent and Turkish boxer Ulku Demir.

• In 2014, Nikhat Zareen clinched the silver medal in the Youth World Boxing Championship held in Bulgaria. On 12 January 2014, at the third Nations Cup International Boxing Tournament in the 51 kg weight category organised at Novi Sad, Serbia, Nikhat Zareen won a gold medal. She defeated her Russian opponent Paltceva Ekaterina.

• In 2015, at the 16th Senior Woman National Boxing Championship in Assam, Nikhat Zareen won a gold medal.
  

  Nikhat Zareen after winning the nationals in 2015

• In 2016, Nikhat Zareen won the “The New Indian Express DEVI Award,” which was presented to her by Union minister Venkaiah Naidu .
  

  Nikhat Zareen on winning The New Indian Express DEVI Award in 2016

• In 2017, Nikhat Zareen suffered a shoulder injury, and she was out of the national camp for a year.

• Since 2018, Nikhat Zareen is the brand ambassador of Adidas. The Welspun group supports her in her boxing training sessions, and she is a part of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme of the Sports Authority of India.

• In 2019, at Thailand Open International Boxing Tournament organised in Bangkok, Nikhar Zareen won a silver medal. In the same year, she participated in the Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament held in Sofia, Bulgaria, where she won a gold medal.
  

  Nikhat Zareen after winning the boxing tournaments in 2019

• In 2020, Nikhat Zareen was honoured by the sports minister V. Srinivas Goud and the Sports Authority of Telangana State (SATS) with an electric scooter and a cash award of Rs 10,000 for her contribution to Indian athletics.

• The two elder sisters of Nikhat Zareen are doctors, and her younger sister is a national badminton player. When Nikhat told her family members that she wanted to join boxing then they were not hesitant in allowing her to opt for the same. In a conversation with a media house, Nikhat’s father told that their relatives used to advise him that Nikhat Zareen must not wear shorts while playing. He said,
  

  But sometimes, relatives or friends would tell us that a girl should not play a sport where she has to wear shorts. But we knew that whatever Nikhat wanted, we would support her dream.”

• On 19 June 2021, Nikhat Zareen was appointed as a staff officer at the Bank of India zonal office at AC Guards, Hyderabad.

• In 2022, she participated in the 73rd Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria, where she won a gold medal by defeating her opponent from Ukraine ‘Tetiana Kob,’ a three-time European Championships medallist. During the same championships, in the semi-finals, Nikhat Zareen defeated Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Buse Naz Çakıroğlu.

• On 19 May 2022, at the Women’s World Championship held in Istanbul, Turkey, Nikhat Zareen won a gold medal in the 52kg category. She defeated her opponent Jitpong Jutamas from Thailand in the fly-weight category. Upon winning this event, Nikhat Zareen became the fifth Indian Women Boxer to win a gold medal at the World Championships. Mary Kom, Laishram Sarita Devi, Jenny R. L., and Lekha K. C are the four other Indian women boxers who won gold medals at the World Championships.
  

  Nikhat Zareen after winning the World Championship in 2022

• After winning gold at the 2022 World Championship, Nikhat Zareen shared a photo on social media in which she is seen with Mary Kom. During the women’s boxing trials bout in 2019, the Mary Kom vs Nikhat Zareen bout made headlines when Nikhat Zareen demanded a fair Olympic selection trial; Mary Kom won that match, and she did not shake hands with Zareen. During a media interaction, Mary Kom quoted,
  

  Why should I shake hands with her? If she want others to respect her then she should first respect others. I don’t like people with such nature. Just prove your point inside the ring, not outside.”

No victory is complete without your idol’s blessings😇🙌🏻@MangteC #HappyMorning#HappyMe#HappyUs pic.twitter.com/uXJFcK9nMu

— Nikhat Zareen (@nikhat_zareen) May 25, 2022

• Nikhat Zareen is a fitness enthusiast. She often shares pictures of her workout sessions on various social media platforms.
  

  Nikhat Zareen posing at a gym

• According to Nikhat Zareen’s father, he always accompanies her during her boxing tournaments. He takes care of her diet and health. In an interview with a media house, her father talked about her training. He said,
  

  I watch her diet and most importantly want to see that she’s training well. I like to tell her weaknesses after bouts and discuss with her how to improve. She feels encouraged in my presence. It will be a ‘two-man-show’.”

• Nikhat Zareen is often featured by several renowned Indian magazines on their cover.
  

  Nikhat Zareen on the cover of a magazine

• Nikhat Zareen remains very active on various social media platforms. She is followed by over 76k people on Instagram. She often shares her pictures and videos on social media. Her Facebook page has more than 22k followers.

• Nikhat Zareen’s uncle Samsamuddin’s sons Etheshamuddin and Itishamuddni are national-level boxers.

• She is a compassionate animal lover. Nikhat Zareen often shares pictures of her pet cat ‘Leo’ on social media.
  

  Nikhat Zareen with her pet cat