"I believe in manifestation," remarked Nikhat Zareen as she spoke to Moneycontrol in an exclusive chat ahead of the World Boxing Cup finals scheduled to be held in Greater Noida from November 14.
Many had anticipated the pugilist to return with a medal from the Paris Olympics, but her campaign ended rather prematurely. The champion boxer of India crashed out in the round of 16, handing both herself and her fans a reality check on the level of competition. Nikhat not only had to deal with the heaviness of returning empty-handed but also with an injury she sustained that kept her out of action for three months.
She resumed training in January, and in September, the two-time world champion headed to Liverpool for the World Championships, where she was back winning bouts until crossing paths with two-time Olympic silver medallist Buse Naz Cakiroglu of Turkey in the quarterfinals.
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"Mujhe thoda disappointment tha ki main khali haath aayi huun India (I was slightly disappointed to return to India without a medal)," Nikhat said before stating the work to rectify the errors have begun. "These days I've been working on my speed, how to approach different styles of boxers," she added.
The World Boxing Cup finals, in Nikhat's own words, is "a good opportunity" for her to gain world ranking points, making it significant for the forthcoming Asian Games and Commonwealth Games qualification; but the bigger picture remains the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Aligning with her ambitions, Nikhat last month shared a post on social media of her painting the Olympic rings and LA 2028 on a wall.
"I believe in manifestation. The more you manifest about something, the closer you get to it, and the LA Olympics are very important to me. So the first thing I want to see when I wake up is the painting, which will remind me of my dream. The painting will keep me motivated to push harder every day," she elaborated on it before signing off.
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