Nikhat Zareen from Telangana assured India of a medal after recording a closely-fought quarterfinal bout 5-2 against Chuthamat Raksat
Hyderabad: Reigning world champion and defending champion Nikhat Zareen from Telangana assured India of a medal after recording a closely-fought quarterfinal bout 5-2 against Chuthamat Raksat of Thailand in the 48-50kg bout of the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in New Delhi on Wednesday.
The contest was a close one as the bout was reviewed against the two-time World Championships bronze medallist Chuthamat Raksat. Both pugilists were at the top of their game and gave it their all to emerge victorious in this bout that went right down the wire.
However it was the 26-year-old Nizamabad boxer who utilised her superior technical ability to edge out her Thai opponent and come out on top with the win.
“Yes, today’s bout was stressful but I won by a split decision so I am really happy that I secured a medal for my country, and going forward I’ll win the gold medal too. My strategy today was to win in the first 2 rounds and then play around in the last. I won the two rounds but from 3:2 in each so in the last round, I aimed to play from a long range but there was a lot of clinching so my body got a little tired,” said Nikhat after the bout.
