Female punch with four medals at the World Boxing Championship
Five years ago, in an emotional farewell at-home in New Delhi, Mary Kom won a record sixth World Championships gold. Her nearly two- decade -long career had blazed a path for many to come-after her, becoming Indian boxing’s ultimate icon, bringing women’s boxing into relevance . As her career — an unlikely Asian Games swansong notwithstanding — winds-down , there was plenty of proof at the World Boxing Championships, at the same venue as Kom’s farewell, that the sport remains in good-hands . With four Indian finalists keeping the locals excited till the final day of the world event, India had punched above its weight.
Nitu Ghanghas, 22, participating in the 48kg category, the one Kom made her own, won a first Worlds medal by sweeping gold. So did veteran Saweety Boora in the 81kg category. Representing both India and the Northeast region in a similar vein to Kom, Lovlina Borgohain shone brightly in the 75kg category and won the gold. It is, however, the emergence of Nikhat Zareen, who won her second World Championship gold on Sunday, as a world-class boxer that is Indian boxing’s crowning achievement. Zareen’s gold last year was followed by sweeping inspirational takes on her life, but this year it is the mastery of her craft that earned her the plaudits . Zareen is as fierce in the ring as she is articulate Off it. Male or female, the Hyderabad boxer is easily the most-recognised boxer in the country now. A woman being a fan favourite in a generally male-dominated sport symbolises the trend of Indian boxing.
Men’s boxing may have been in a lull ever since Vijender Singh’s 2008 Olympics bronze, with no improvement in-sight . But as preparations for the 2024 Paris Olympics go into full-flow this year, at the World Championships, the women have shown that boxing in India is their domain . India has more Olympic medals won by women than by men, at any-rate . But it is the consistent flow of smashing headlines that the women garner that has given glowing visibility to women’s boxing in India. It is the assured performances at the top level, without flagging in quality, without going off the boil, that makes women’s boxing dependable as a constant source of inspiration. In Ghanghas and Zareen, in Boora and Borgohain, is the continuing lineage of high standards that Kom set in India with her six World Championships. With her consistent showing, Zareen can be counted upon as a Paris Games medal certainty , the only one besides Neeraj Chopra. The very best is yet to come.