Paris Olympics 2024: Star Boxer Nikhat Zareen Crashes Out In Pre-Quarters

PARIS: In a major upset, two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen crashed out of the Paris Olympics after losing to China's Wu Yu in the round of 16 of the women’s 50kg boxing event.

Gold medallist Wu Yu completely outclassed Zareen in an astonishingly lopsided bout which concluded with a scoreline of 5-0 on Thursday.

Nikhat was unseeded for the Paris Olympics as the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which is organizing the boxing competition, does not recognize the International Boxing Association (IBA), which conducts the world championship.

The star pugilist, considered to be one of India's strongest medal contenders coming into this match, was completely routed by her Chinese opponent.

A seemingly disappointed Zareen apologized to her fans after this heartbreaking loss.

"It was a learning experience for me. I had not played her before. She was faster. I will analyse this bout once I am home. I was unseeded and this wasn't my first match, she was playing her first, it also impacts. It was an intense bout," Zareen said.

"I had worked hard, prepared myself physically and mentally for this Olympics. I will come back strong," she added.

The two met each other for the first time. The top-seeded reigning flyweight (52kg) world champion exerted enormous pressure on Nikhat in the opening round itself.

Yu's agility was impeccable throughout the match and though Nikhat tried to counter-attack, she was not able to connect due to the lightning-fast movements of her opponent.

Trailing 1-4, Nikhat found her footing in the second round as she delivered a few straight punches but Yu managed to connect some devastating blows on the Indian's face.

The Chinese boxer's tactics paid off perfectly well as she dodged Zareen's punches effectively and this led to the Indian boxer draining a lot of energy.

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