Paris: Nikhat Zareen was left in tears after the Indian boxer suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Chinese Wu Yu in her women’s 50m pre-quarterfinal bout at the Paris Olympics 2024 on Thursday. The two-time world champion Nikhat bowed out after a 0-5 loss to Asian Games gold-medallist Yu, completely outmaneuvered by the Chinese in a stunningly lopsided bout.
With this loss, Nikhat’s journey in her debut Olympics ended, thus leaving her in tears, the picture of which went viral on social media. In the picture, Nikhat was seen standing in the mixed zone, with tears rolling down her face.
Unseeded at the Games, Nikhat was one of India’s strongest medal contenders. She was put under pressure by the top-seeded reigning flyweight (52kg) world champion in the opening round itself. Yu was quick off the blocks and though Nikhat tried to counter-attack, she wasn’t able to connect.
Nikhat zareen couldn’t control her emotions in the mix zone.
I’ve never seen Nikhat in tears. You are a fighter Nikhat. We are proud of you. The entire country is with you.@nikhat_zareen #Paris2024 #OlympicGames #Olympics pic.twitter.com/JAnYhJ6LF3
— Abhijit Deshmukh (@iabhijitdesh) August 1, 2024
Trailing 1-4, Nikhat found a bit more success in the second round as she landed a few straights but Yu managed to connect some telling hooks on the Indian’s face. Nikhat ended the round with a few body shots. In the third round as Nikhat desperately tried to connect but continued to fail due to Yu’s nimble movements.
