Nikhat Zareen (right) during her boxing round of 16 match at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.©AFP
Nikhat Zareen described her defeat before the quarter-finals at the Paris Games as the most excruciating loss of her career and the Indian boxing star vowed to return with renewed passion to fulfill her dream of winning an Olympic medal. Nikhat, who was a serious medal contender before the Games, withdrew from the women’s 50kg boxing competition following a unanimous decision loss to top seed, reigning Asian Games champion Wu Yu, from China.
“The Olympic dream that I have cherished for so long did not come true as I had hoped. After countless hours of training, sacrifice and unwavering determination, this moment slipped away from me,” wrote Nikhat in a post on Instagram.
“This defeat is the hardest I have ever faced; it is profound and almost unbearable. My heart is heavy, but it remains intact. I accept it with grace and will do my best to find a way forward. follow in my life,” she added.
Nikhat was the first of six Indian women boxers to qualify for the Paris Olympics, where she made her maiden appearance.
“Winning an Olympic medal was my biggest dream, and I fought with everything I had to achieve it. The journey to Paris 2024 was full of challenges: overcoming a year of injury, fighting to get my place back, fighting for the opportunity to compete, and overcoming countless obstacles, all for the chance to represent our country on the world stage” “I am deeply grateful for the chance to pursue my dream, but the. Destiny had other plans. Not achieving this here in Paris is devastating. I wish I could go back in time and put in even more effort to get a different result, but it remains. a wish.” The two-time world champion, narrowly missing an Olympic medal from his glittering trophy cabinet, has vowed to come back stronger.
“I promise this is not the end. I will go home to recover and clear my mind. This dream is still alive and I will continue to pursue it with renewed passion. This is not a goodbye but a promise to come back, to fight harder and to make you all proud. Thank you for being with me. The journey continues.
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