Paris 2024 Olympics: India suffer medal blow in boxing as Nikhat Zareen knocked out in Round of 16

New Delhi: India suffered a big blow in boxing at the Paris Olympics 2024 after two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen had a shocking exit from the biggest sporting event. In what was one of the biggest upsets at the Games, Zareen (50kg) bowed out of the competition after a 0-5 loss to Asian Games gold-medallist Wu Yu.

The Indian boxer was completely stunned by her Chinese opponent in a lopsided bout on Thursday, which eventually ended India’s hopes of a medal in the event as she was one of the strongest medal contenders. The ace Indian boxer was unseeded for the Paris Games as the International Olympic Committee doesn’t recognise the International Boxing Association (IBA), which conducts the world championship.

Chinese dominates Indian boxer

Wu Yu dominated the Indian boxer right from the word go as she was put under pressure by the top-seeded reining flyweight world champion in the opening round itself. In the subsequent rounds, the Indian boxer tried to counter-attack but could not get it through as she was unable to tackle the ace Chinese boxer’s blows.

The second round brought some success to Nikhat as she landed a few straights but the Chinese managed to connect some telling hooks on the Indian’s face. She, however, ended the round with few body shots but lacked a quality footwork. Yu’s footwork remained brilliant throughout the bout, which allowed her switch the stance constantly to avoid blows.

Nothing significant changed in the third round as Nikhat tried her level best to get back into the groove but could not connect due to the brilliant movements from her opponent. Despite this big loss, Nikhat remains one of the most consistent Indian boxers, having won back-to-back gold medals at the world championships and the 2022 Commonwealth Games besides a bronze in the Asian Games last year.

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 India suffered medal blow in boxing as Nikhat Zareen was knocked out of the Round of 16 at the Paris Olympics 2024.  Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today