| Nikhat Zareen Quick Info | |
|---|---|
| Height | 5 ft 4 in |
| Weight | 51 kg |
| Date of Birth | June 14, 1996 |
| Zodiac Sign | Gemini |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
Nikhat Zareen is an Indian amateur boxer who had scripted history in May 2024 when she became just the 5th Indian boxer (after Mary Kom, Laishram Sarita Devi, Jenny R. L., and Lekha K. C.) to win a ‘Gold’ medal at the IBA (International Boxing Association) Women’s World Boxing Championships held in Istanbul, Turkey. She had also become just the 2nd Indian boxer to achieve this feat at an event held outside India – after Mary Kom who had done so with 4 out of her 6 such ‘Gold’ medals. At the event, competing in the 52kg category, Nikhat had won all of her bouts (round of 32, round of 16, quarter-final, semi-final, and final) by unanimous 5-0 decisions. Besides this triumph, she had secured the ‘Bronze’ medal at the 2019 Bangkok Asian Amateur Boxing Championships as well as the 2nd India Open International Boxing Tournament held in Guwahati in May 2019.
Born Name
Nikhat Zareen
Nick Name
Nikhat
Sun Sign
Gemini
Born Place
Nizamabad, Telangana, India
Residence
Hyderabad, Telangana, India
Nationality
Education
Nikhat had attended the Nirmala Hrudaya Girls High School in her hometown of Nizamabad. After her high school graduation, she pursued a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree at the Andhra Vidyalaya College of Arts, Science, and Commerce in Hyderabad.
Occupation
Amateur Boxer
Family
- Father – Mohammad Jameel Ahmed (Former Sales Officer)
- Mother – Parveen Sultana
- Siblings – Anjum Meenaz (Sister). She has 2 other sisters.
- Others – Shamsuddin (Uncle) (Boxing Coach)
Manager
She is represented by Baseline Ventures, Sports Marketing, Entertainment & Brand Licensing Company, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
Weight Class
Flyweight
Build
Athletic
Height
5 ft 4 in or 162.5 cm
Weight
51 kg or 112.5 lbs
Race / Ethnicity
Asian (Indian)
Hair Color
Black
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Toned physique
- Center-parted, shoulder-length, straight hair
- Affable smile
- Radiant face
Religion
Islam
Brand Endorsements
Nikhat, in 2018, had signed a brand endorsement deal with the sports goods manufacturing giant Adidas.
She has also been sponsored by the Welspun Group, an Indian multinational conglomerate, headquartered in Mumbai, whose core industries are steel, energy, and textiles.
Nikhat Zareen Facts
- Nikhat had been introduced to the sport of boxing by her father in her teenage years and she had trained under him for about a year. During this phase, due to her Muslim background, she was often taunted by friends, relatives, and community members because she used to train, as boxers do, in shorts. Thankfully, her father did not buckle under this socio-religious pressure and continued to support her sporting dreams.
- In 2009, she was inducted into the Sports Authority of India, the apex national sports body of India, established in 1982 by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of the Government of India. She was, later in her career, also supported by the TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme) program of this authority.
- She had first come into the spotlight in 2011 when she had won the ‘Gold’ medal in the flyweight division at the International Boxing Association (Amateur) Women’s Youth & Junior World Championships held in Antalya, Turkey.
- In 2014, she won the ‘Silver’ medal at the Youth World Boxing Championship held in Bulgaria and the ‘Gold’ medal at the Third Nations Cup International Boxing Tournament held in Novi Sad, Serbia. A year later, she had clinched the ‘Gold’ medal at the 16th Senior Women’s National Boxing Championship held in the state of Assam.
- In 2019, she won the ‘Silver’ medal at the Thailand Open International Boxing Tournament held in Bangkok as well as the ‘Gold’ medal at the Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament held in Sofia, Bulgaria.
- At the 2024 edition of the latter tournament, she had clinched the ‘Gold’ medal by defeating Ukraine’s Tetiana Kob, a 3-time European Championships medallist, by a margin of 4-1. In the semi-final, she had overcome Buse Naz Çakıroğlu, a ‘Silver’ medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
- Like several sportspersons in India, particularly non-cricketers, she has held a part-time/ceremonial desk job facilitated by an Indian government (state or central). She has served as a general banking officer in the Hyderabad zonal office of the Bank of India, an Indian nationalized bank.
Featured Image by Nikhat Zareen / Instagram
