World Championship target achieved, Nikhat Zareen now eyes Olympic glory

World Boxing Championship, Nikhat Zareen has now firmly set her sights on being the first among equals at the Paris Olympics with a top podium finish during the 2024 edition of the quadrennial extravaganza. Zareen clinched the coveted gold in the flyweight (52kg) division with a facile 5-0 win over Thailand's Jitpong Jutamas in the final of the Women's World Championship in Istanbul on May 19, thus becoming only the fifth Indian boxer to be crowned world champion.

Read AlsoExclusive: 'My time has come, will give it my all to win an Olympic gold for the country', says new World Champion boxer Nikhat Zareen

Newly-crowned world champion boxer Nikhat Zareen is the toast of the nation after becoming just the fifth Indian female pugilist to win a gold medal at the World Championships. The 25 year old from Telengana registered a dominating 5-0 victory in the final on Thursday, defeating Thailand's Jitpong

"I am happy that I have won a gold in the World Championships for the country and in future too I would like to put in more hard work and keep on winning medals for India," Zareen, also a 2019 Asian Championship bronze medallist, said during a felicitation function organised jointly by the Sports Authority of India and national federation (BFI) on Tuesday.

"The Olympics is my ultimate goal but to achieve success there I will have to put in a lot of hard work because I know how big a competition the Olympics is? I have to give double the effort I have done till now. "Now there is more responsibility on me." Since winning a gold medal in flyweight division at the Women's Junior and Youth World Boxing Championship in Turkey in 2011, it has been a difficult journey for Zareen.

'My time has come', says new World Champion boxer