.jpg?rect=0%2C30%2C1200%2C675&w=480&auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=max)
PARIS: It was a tale of two losses in Paris that will torment India for a while. If shooting has been a historic hunting ground for India, the boxing and badminton venues turned into a graveyard of hope for three of the biggest names on Thursday.
Nikhat Zareen lost her Round of 16 bout to China’s Wu Yu. In the badminton hall, two of the most consistent shuttlers – Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty — failed to advance to the semifinals as they lost to Malaysia's Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik.
Nikhat’s right upper lip was swollen. There were bruises on her cheeks. Sweat all over her body. Eyes were moist. She was breathing heavily after the bout. She was stoic enough to not show her emotions at the mixed zone. There was too much pain in her, not because of the punches that landed on her. It was the loss that hurt her most. The way she was outclassed stung her more.
The failure to win her country a medal, which she kept reiterating while walking to the backstage, broke her. Unable to hold her myriad emotions boiling inside her, she started sobbing. Years of hard work and sacrifices vanished in those three rounds against a more agile, faster boxer. As she walked away, she was slowly picking up the pieces left behind by a shattered dream.
The Chinese boxer was fast and brutal. No matter what Nikhat threw at her, she could duck, weave away. Nikhat only managed to connect with air, especially in the final round. She admitted saying the Chinese was a better boxer.
Billed as the next great thing after the legendary MC Mary Kom in Indian boxing, she had the first setback when she got one of the toughest draws. But in the Olympics there are hardly any players to choose from. The best boxers qualify. However, for Nikhat, it all started with seedings. Because of the fight between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Boxing Association (IBA), seedings were dependent on continental tournaments and not on the derecognised IBA’s world championships. Despite being the world champion, she was just another player here. Her bronze at the Asian Games too did not count. Interestingly, Mary had beaten Wu 5-0 during the Worlds in 2018.
Didn't sleep on Wednesday
The draw was tough but Nikhat felt she was ready to face the challenge. Destiny works in mysterious ways. Maintaining weight has been the biggest concern. “I couldn’t sleep last night because I hadn’t eaten anything,” she said. For weight category events like boxing and wrestling, this is one of the biggest challenges. “Mind was 24 hours active, thinking that I’ll drink water, eat immediately after weigh-in. If I had won the bout and said this, people would appreciate it. Since I have lost, people will say it’s an excuse. But honestly, I couldn’t sleep last night, you can check my data.”
Whether the mind was preoccupied or lack of strategy, despite making a comeback in the second round, she seemed listless in the final round. Her punches were frail and her feet seemed heavy. She was not moving around the canvas like she is known to. Nikhat started off well in the first round but the swift punches and movement of the Chinese boxer threw her off the track. “I was boxing her for the first time and I did not know how she fights,” she said later. “I will learn from this experience and become a better boxer.” But her first Olympics has slipped out.
Nikhat’s career had always been strewn with challenges. She had to wrestle for her place in a team that had Mary. She was against the rope literally and had to challenge one of the most successful Indian sportspersons. Yet she did. Every fall hardened her, every punch made her stronger. Now that Mary is ineligible for the Olympics because of her age, Nikhat has made this 50kg weight category her own.
It’s still uncertain whether boxing will find its way in the LA 2028 programme but Nikhat would aspire to be part of it. She said she would work hard, be it in sport or in life. “First of all, to get here itself I've had to make a lot of sacrifices,” she said. “I am grateful that I got this opportunity after so much hard work. And I'm glad that if I lost, I lost to a top seed and the world champion. No regrets. Next Olympics, 2028, nothing is confirmed about boxing. But I will continue to work hard, be it in boxing or in life.”
For now she would want to take a break. “I am really exhausted mentally and physically and I need this break,” she said, vowing to learn from her mistakes and make a comeback. Whenever she comes back, she will not be the same Nikhat.