HYDERABAD: Two-time boxing world champion Nikhat Zareen today said it was the enthusiastic support from the home crowd that gave her enormous energy to give her best and win the title at the recent World Championships in New Delhi.
Nikhat became only the second Indian, after MC Mary Kom, to win the World Championships title more than once. “It was a lot different. In the last World Championships, I used to enter the ring with my own will power and confidence. Here, I had the support of the home crowd,” Nikhat said. “The home crowd would cheer me on when I entered the ring. Chants of ‘India’ used to echo in the stadium. I would get the drive from inside to give my best,” she said.
Nikhat said it feels great to win back-to-back gold medals in the World Championships. “It was a new experience for me representing my country in the World Championships in India and winning the gold medal. I am very happy about it,” she said.
Nikhat said that preparations for next year’s Paris Olympics have begun, adding that she would take one step at a time. “The preparation has already started for the Olympics. I want to take it step by step. My focus now is on the Asian Games, which is a qualifying event for the Paris Olympics,” she said.