Injury-Free Boxer Nikhat Zareen Aims For Comeback In May

"No one moves on so quickly in life," Nikhat Zareen said, her voice heavy with the weight of her painful Paris Olympics experience. Struggling with a knee injury after Paris and the looming uncertainty surrounding the sport's future in the Olympics, the two-time World Champion found herself grappling with the thought that her dream of standing on the Olympic podium might never be realised. But the recent inclusion of boxing in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics has reignited the spark of hope within her. After being sidelined with injury since the Paris Games, the 28-year-old is now determined to make a comeback and aims to be competition-ready by May.

"I had a minor injury (meniscus) which required 3-4 months of rehab. It's fine now but obviously if you want to enter the competition circuit, you need to have ring endurance. So, I will be back in May," Zareen said on the sidelines of the ongoing women's boxing championships here.

With several major competitions scheduled this year, Zareen said her main focus will be on the World Championship in September, followed by the World Cup, which will be hosted by India.

"My main focus will be on the World Championship and also the World Cup which India is hosting." In her Olympic debut, Zareen's campaign ended in the round of 16 as she went down to eventual champion Wu Yu of China.

"No one moves on so fast in life. Nobody moves on from what they have gone through. But I have accepted it, it's okay to lose. Now it's time to focus on future and move on from that." Reflecting on her bout in Paris, Zareen added: "I watched my bout and of course there were a lot of mistakes. After watching the bout, you always feel that 'oh I could have landed a punch here there'. But that scenario is