When the Chinese arm was raised, Nikhat Zareen nodded and clapped briefly as if to acknowledge a game well played. As she stood by the athletes' exit zone, she appeared calm and composed, staring straight ahead.
Nikhat Zareen had just faced a unanimous 5-0 defeat to Wu Yu. At that moment, it was hard to tell if she was shattered, but she broke down in tears less than thirty minutes later. "I’m really sorry I couldn’t bring a medal home for India," she said, after spending 12 minutes explaining why she didn't see this loss as a major disappointment in her career, despite giving it her all.
Nikhat, one of India’s big hopes for the Paris Olympics, struggled to process her feelings about returning with only a single win. She expressed disappointment over the loss, but not overly so, given Wu's status as the top seed in their division. Nikhat considered her draw unfortunate but wasn't expecting an easy path. She felt she could have shown more energy in the final round but didn’t want to waste it against Wu’s smart defence.
One thing was clear: Nikhat was outclassed in the women's 50kg Round of 16 bout. The top-seeded Wu was a formidable opponent, and Nikhat had to face her in the second round due to the luck of the draw. The Asian Games bronze medallist, who had moved down to the Olympic light flyweight division, had never faced Wu before. The Hangzhou gold medallist didn’t give her any time to adjust.
'Sorry guys, I could not win a medal for the country': Heartbroken Nikhat Zareen apologises to nation after being knocked out from Paris Olympics 2024#NikhatZareen #ParisOlympics2024 #ParisOlympics2024 #olympicsonsportstak#olympics2024https://t.co/1vFxtRdxck pic.twitter.com/gtg165pVxJ
— Sports Tak (@sports_tak) August 1, 2024
Wu came out strong, landing blows effectively in a 4-1 first-round verdict. Although Nikhat’s punches were more focused in the second round, they weren't enough to swing things in her favour. A split decision in the second round meant Nikhat needed a drastic turnaround, but Wu dodged most of her desperate attacks. Eventually, Nikhat’s Olympic journey ended.
"When I was attacking, she moved quickly and stepped away. She was faster than me," Nikhat admitted. "I couldn’t take the lead in the first round since I hadn’t faced her before. In the third round, she changed her strategy which proved costly for me."
Nikhat had patiently waited for this opportunity while building her career in the shadow of Mary Kom. This chance came with high expectations of a medal from the two-time world champion. The tough draw required Nikhat to be on top form from the first second at the North Paris Arena. Despite a challenging opening win, she couldn’t sleep before her second bout.
“For two days, I haven’t eaten or drunk anything. My first bout was tough because I had lost weight coming into it,” she revealed.
“Unfortunately, I got a tough draw. I wasn’t expecting an easy one because my journey has never been easy and will continue to be tough.”
Nikhat is accustomed to the challenges and the high demands of pursuing an Olympic medal. She expects a medal from every competition. Although she fell short at the Paris Games, she remains determined.
“I wouldn’t consider this among my disappointments,” she said. “Because I worked extremely hard. I wouldn’t blame it on my performance. I’ve put in all the effort that I could. I will take this as a lesson and will return stronger.”
Nikhat promised to start afresh, erasing the memories of her first Olympics. But first, she looks forward to a break, spending time with family and an experimental solo trip.
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