Highlights:
- Nikhat Zareen defeats Germany’s Maxi Carina Kloetzer by unanimous decision in the women’s 50kg round of 32.
- Zareen advances to the round of 16 to face top-seeded Wu Yu of China.
Paris 2024 Olympics Boxing: Nikhat Zareen Wins Opening Bout by Unanimous Decision
Indian boxer Nikhat Zareen triumphed over Germany’s Maxi Carina Kloetzer by unanimous decision in the women’s 50kg round of 32 boxing match at the Paris 2024 Olympics on Sunday.
Competing at the Arena Paris Nord, the unseeded Nikhat Zareen, on her Olympic debut, initially struggled but made a strong comeback to secure a 5-0 victory.
“My Olympic strategy is to take each bout one at a time and my focus was always on this bout,” Nikhat said. “After waiting so long, after so much hard work and struggle, I am here at the Olympics representing my country.”
In the opening round, Maxi Kloetzer aggressively pursued Nikhat, utilizing her jabs effectively. The 28-year-old Indian, who earned her Olympic boxing quota at the Asian Games last year, countered with strong blows, but the judges scored 3:2 in favor of the German.
With the stakes high, Nikhat went on the offensive early in the second round. Both boxers had points deducted for violations, but Nikhat turned the fight in her favor.
As both fighters began to tire in the third bout, Nikhat Zareen used her experience to evade the German’s attacks.
Eventually, the two-time world champion dominated the third round as well, overcoming her initial setback to win by unanimous decision.
Nikhat Zareen now prepares to face top-seeded Wu Yu of the People’s Republic of China in the round of 16 on Thursday. Wu Yu is the reigning world champion in the 52kg category and a gold medalist at the Asian Games last year.
“I’ll now sit with my coaches and watch (Wu Yu’s) game and make a strategy,” Nikhat said. “She is the top seed. It’s a big challenge, but everyone is a challenge for me. I can’t take it easy on anyone. I can just better my performance in each bout.”
Indian boxers Amit Panghal and Jaismine Lamboria will be in action next on Tuesday, competing in the men’s 51kg and women’s 57kg categories, respectively.
