Recharged and revitalised — Nikhat Zareen 2.0

The Hindu

2 days ago

'Hyderabad is known for two things: the delicious biryani and its very own boxing ki rani.'
Nikhat Zareen's wit, which is as sharp as her punches, was in full flow at an event in Hyderabad recently when she one-upped the emcee with a quick lesson in how to work on his introductions.
And yet, in that quip, was also an indication of how Nikhat views herself and a gentle reminder to everyone that her self-confidence, which had taken a beating a year ago in Paris, has been rebuilt.
Last year, having exited the Paris Olympics much earlier than expected, Nikhat was understandably distraught. Time has passed and this Nikhat is wiser and kinder to herself.
'There are a lot of things that have happened in the past. I don't want to focus on negatives. I just want to focus on the positive things that I have learned from Paris. It was a memorable competition for me. Not everyone gets the chance to represent India at the Olympics. I count myself lucky that at least I had the opportunity to go to the Olympics,' she said in a chat with The Hindu.
Not written in the stars
If the Paris Olympics taught Nikhat anything, it is that there are many more factors beyond hard work and self-belief that contribute to clinching an Olympic medal.
'Paris was my first experience at the Olympics. I used to hear a lot about the Olympics from my seniors, about how it is not an easy event, how winning other competitions is easier. It's not easy because once you go there, there are a lot of expectations from you and a lot of pressure from everyone,' she said.
'But when I went to the Olympics, what I experienced is that it's not just about working hard and having that belief in you that you can win medals. Sometimes it's also about destiny, it's also about luck. Sometimes that also matters a lot in your journey.'
When she landed in the French capital, Nikhat had her eyes on two boxers: China's Wu Yu and Turkey's Buse Naz Cakiroglu. While she was far from afraid of facing them, she also did not want to meet either until the very end.
Fate, however, had other plans.
A series of unfortunate events
'My only hope was that these two boxers should not face me in the initial rounds and that they should face me in the semifinals or the final. Unfortunately, I faced one of them, the Chinese girl, in the early rounds. It was bad luck,' she said, recalling her defeat to the then reigning Asian Games champion.
That was not the only thing that went wrong for her there.
'That bout was in the morning at 11 o'clock. There was no time for recovery, and we also had no air conditioning in Paris. If you take everything, it was quite clear that it (succeeding there) was not written in my destiny,' Nikhat brushed off with a laugh.
Her otherwise bindaas and steely persona dropped and she admitted, not for the first time, that she let herself go after the Paris Olympics.
'As soon as I came back from Paris, I ate everything at home. I ate everything that I do not usually eat. I gained 7 kgs as soon as I came back, within one month. I know that's very unhealthy, but what can I do? That time, my mindset was like that. I didn't care about anything. I didn't want to talk to anyone. I didn't want to go anywhere,' she explained.
She was coaxed out of this rut first by Bella, the golden retriever she and her sister adopted, and then by a trip away from home, where she could recharge her spirits away from the cacophony of daily life.
'I sat and thought that this was not going to help me. It would only spoil me. I needed to get out of that zone. I do not want to overthink and stay in the shadow of disappointment. I didn't want to be in that disappointment phase. I want to move on and come back stronger. I'm in that phase of life. So I decided to go on a trip to Kashmir, which really helped me to come back.'
In her enthusiasm to get back on track, she began to work twice as hard and picked up a meniscus injury, which pushed her to the sidelines for almost four months. She returned to the ring at the Elite Women's Boxing Tournament in Hyderabad, her focus being on joining the elite national camp.
The two-time World champion and home favourite made it to the final in the 51kg category, but had to pull out before her bout with Jyoti due to a minor injury.
'Sometimes I feel like meri kismat hi kharaab hai (my destiny is bad)! Maybe no one is as unlucky as I am.'
'These challenges break me, but they also make me stronger. Each obstacle makes me stronger and hungrier to achieve my goals. It's an interesting journey going on in my life right now. I am enjoying whatever life is throwing my way. I always tell myself, 'Nikhat, you are stronger. You are stronger than ever. You can handle this.' Always.'
Nikhat also credited Sunny, a Sports Authority of India coach, with whom she began working this year, for helping her get back on course.
'I spoke to the federation and TOPS about needing a coach and finally decided to work under Sunny. I was training in ASI Pune for five months under him, and he has helped me regain my fitness levels. He has played a major role after the Paris Olympics in helping me get back into the national team.'
Present perfect
The 29-year-old is just an Olympics old but has learnt the hard lesson of compartmentalising the intensity of the ring. Living in the present, she admits, is as imperative to her success in the ring as it is to her peace outside it.
'I know what I want in my life. At the same time, I just don't want to be blindly focused on that because when you don't get that, then you're totally shattered. That is what happened in Paris. Every time in my mind, there was only the thought of winning a medal. I left everything for it. I didn't eat junk food for so long. I didn't focus on eating sweets because I followed a strict diet. But what happened in Paris? I got broken. Literally broken. I'm pushing myself every day, telling myself that whatever has happened in the past is in the past. Let's see what the future holds for me. Paris has taught me to focus on the present. I don't care what the future holds for me, what it brings in my life.'
The two big events on this year's calendar are the World Boxing Championships and the Boxing World Cup, while the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics is already on the back of everyone's minds.
'I just don't want to put pressure on myself like, 'Oh, what will happen in the World Championship? What will happen in LA?' No, I just want to live in the present and give my 100% in training and just enjoy my workouts, enjoy the game. I don't want to ruin my present thinking about the future. I just want to enjoy my training, enjoy my life.
Nikhat is too much of a free spirit to allow room for regret and realises that finding joy in life need not be on pause just to accommodate sporting excellence.
'Being an athlete, you have to be focused and disciplined. But at the same time, I have my life also. I know that once I leave boxing, when I look back, I'll regret that didn't do this and that. At the same time, I also want to live to the fullest. I want to do everything. I want to win a medal, I want to work hard, and I want to enjoy life. Because you only live once.'
Nikhat has now made it to the Indian team heading to Liverpool, England, for the World Boxing Championships in September, where she will be in action on the international stage for the first time since the Paris Olympics.
'I'm working hard again. I am seeing this as the start of my Olympic cycle. So I'll keep pushing myself. This is my first competition after the Paris Olympics, and I'll have butterflies in my stomach when I go there.
'But once I enter the ring, my mind will be set only on winning that match and the competition.'
Nikhat forced her way onto the scene as a teenager, taking a circuitous route to the top, via stardom at the sub-junior nationals and Youth World Championships and ostracism for daring to challenge the legendary Mary Kom.
She remained undeterred then and is even more resolute now. Amidst all the doubters and critics, she cuts a very confident figure, like a lone show of human will in the path of history.
'I'm still that Nikhat Zareen who has that hunger to achieve and make the country proud.
'I'm happy that I'm finally back in the national team. Now the focus is on winning the medal.'