Asian Games: Meet India’s female boxers
NEW DELHI: With World Champion Nikhat Zareen leading the side, the Indian women boxers look to bag a rich haul of medals and also the Paris Olympic ticket at the Asian Games 2023 to be held in Hangzhou, China from September 23 to October 8.
The boxing events at the Asian Games are scheduled to start on September 24.
Below are the profiles of Indian women’s boxers participating in the Games, as shared by BFI.
Nikhat Zareen (50 kg)
Date of Birth: 14-06-1996
Place of Birth: Nizamabad, Telangana
Style: Orthodox
Nikhat Zareen, a two-time world champion, is one of the current crop of boxers who has excelled in the global arena. She is the only Indian boxer, aside from Mary Kom, to have won multiple gold medals at the World Boxing Championships. The 26-year-old boxer from Nizamabad shattered all barriers to becoming the first Muslim woman to compete professionally and represent India, defying expectations and critics.
She entered her adolescent years with a string of victories under her belt and a bright future ahead of her. During an Inter-University Championships match in 2017, the 2011 world junior champion snapped her shoulder, keeping her out of the ring for close to a year.
Nikhat showed her determination and prowess on her debut at the Asian Championships in 2019. She came up with the bronze and her campaign included a stunning win over the two-time world champion Nazym Kyzaibay.
Staying away from the ring for almost a year was the toughest phase of her life so far. In her comeback tournament at the 2018 Belgrade International tournament in Serbia, she won the gold medal. It is the unfathomable self-belief and determination that makes Zareen plow through.
In 2022, the boxer became the only fifth Indian woman to win Senior World Championships gold. Having proved her mettle at the World Championships, the pugilist from Nizamabad continued her rich form and won the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham followed by the gold medal at the National Championship in Bhopal.
Playing her second Elite World Championships Nikhat proved her mettle once again clinching the second consecutive gold medal at the 2023 IBA Women’s World Championships.
She also became only the second Indian female to have two World Championships gold medals to her name. She will be looking to shine at the Asian Games and book her ticket for the Paris Olympics.
Achievements:
2023: Gold medal at World Championships, New Delhi, India
2022: Gold medal at National Boxing Championship, Bhopal
2022: Gold medal at Commonwealth Games, Birmingham
2022: Gold medal at World Championships, Istanbul
2022: Gold medal at Strandja Boxing Tournament, Bulgaria
2021: Gold medal at National Boxing Championships, Hisar
2021: Bronze medal at Istanbul Bosphorus tournament in Turkey
2019: Bronze medal at India Open, Guwahati
2019: Silver medal at the Thailand Open
2019: Asian Boxing Championships, Bangkok: Bronze
2019: 70th Strandja Boxing Tournament, Sofia, Bulgaria: Gold
2018: 56th Belgrade Winner International Championship; Serbia:
2018: Women Senior Nationals; Rohtak; Haryana: Bronze
2015: Gold at Senior National Championship, Guwahati
2011: Junior and Youth World Championship, Turkey: Gold
Preeti Dahiya (54Kg)
Date of Birth: 23-10-2003
Place of Birth: Bhiwani, Haryana
Stance: Southpaw
Preeti began boxing when she was barely 14 years old. Preeti, who had no interest in boxing, was introduced to the sport by her uncle Vinod, a boxer who had won medals at the national level. Preeti’s father, an ASI officer in the Haryana Police, was persuaded by Vinod to allow her to attempt boxing, and he then began training her.
Preeti’s family gave her their unwavering support in her decision to pursue a career in boxing, and she didn’t disappoint them. Preeti rose swiftly through the ranks, participating in her first significant competition at the Panipat Open State Tournament and winning a gold medal at the young nationals. At the Khelo India Games in Guwahati in 2020 and Panchkula in 2021, respectively, Preeti continued her incredible form by winning the silver and gold medals.
Preeti shone on the international stage, taking silver at the Youth Asian Championships 2021 and bronze at the senior Asian Championships 2022. She made her World Championships debut at the 2023 edition in New Delhi where she reached the pre-quarters and impressed everyone with her gutsy displays.
Achievements:
2023: Women’s World Championships – Participated
2022: Bronze medal at the Asian Championships, Jordan
2021: Gold at Khelo India Youth Games, Panchkula
2021: Youth Asian Championships, Silver
2020: Silver at Khelo India Youth Games, Guwahati
Parveen Hooda (57kg)
Date of Birth: 15-4-2000
Hometown: Rurki Village, Rohtak, Haryana
Style: Orthodox
Coming from the hinterland of Rurki Village, Rohtak, Haryana Parveen’s journey into the Boxing World is like no other. To sustain, her family possessed a buffalo and a little plot of land, she didn’t even have the money to buy boxing gloves. However, her life made a dramatic change when Sudhir Hooda, the village Sarpanch, decided to open a handball and boxing academy in the hamlet to combat the problem of drug use and unemployment there.
Parveen seized the chance after being inspired by Mary Kom and Vijender Singh to do so. She used to get into confrontations with boys in the classroom while she was in school, which encouraged her to use those energies in the ring.
It was the year 2019 when Parveen got the breakthrough and came into the limelight after defeating the veteran Sarita Devi in domestic trials. She ended 2019 with a gold medal at the South Asian Games and has carried forward the momentum since then.
Following her victory as the 63 kg National Champion in 2021, she won the biggest medal of her career when she won the bronze medal at the 2022 World Championships in Turkey. A gold medal at the Asian Championships in Jordan in 2022 helped her further solidify her increasing reputation.
Parveen is aiming for victory at the Asian Games with a slew of significant medals and confidence in her arsenal.
Achievements:
Gold at 2022 Asian Championships, Jordan
Bronze at 2022 World Championships, Turkey
Gold at 2021 Senior Nationals, Hisar
Gold at 2019 South Asian Games, Nepal
Jaismine Lamboria (60kg)
Date of Birth: 30-08-2001
Place of birth: Bhiwani, Haryana
Style: Southpaw
Coming from a humble family where her father works as a home guard and her mother is a housewife, the teenage boxer aspires to win gold at the Olympics, and is committed to achieving her goals. Her interest in boxing was sparked by watching two of her uncles succeed in international competitions as a child.
She is appreciative of her uncles, though, since they served as her support system and helped her train while she balanced her schoolwork and training. She undergoes arduous training at her uncle’s training facility to win the international championships.
Jasmine was able to triumph in several national and international competitions with the help of her uncle, who also serves as her trainer. She won gold at the 2019 Youth Eskar All Female Box Cup in Dublin, Ireland, and the 3rd Youth Women’s National Boxing Championship in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand. She made her senior debut at the 2021 Boxam International competition, wowing everyone and taking home a silver medal. She also won a bronze medal at the Asian Championships the same year.
Jaismine defeated Tokyo Olympian and World Championships bronze medallist Simranjeet Kaur at the 2021 Nationals before defeating her in the trials for 2022 World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey. Jasmine reached the quarterfinals in the competition and justified her growing stature by winning the bronze medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
In the 2023 World Championships, Jasmine repeated a similar feat as the previous edition by reaching the quarterfinals of the competition held in New Delhi. With more experience under her belt, she will be looking to make her mark at the Asian Games.
Achievements:
International Tournaments
Women’s World Championships 2023 – Participated
Bronze at 2022 Commonwealth Games, Birmingham
2021 Asian Boxing Championships- bronze medal
Boxam International Boxing tournament Castellon Spain 1st to 7th March 2021 – Silver medal
Youth Eskar All Female Box Cup 2019 at Dublin, Ireland (gold medal)
ASBC Asian youth men’s and women’s boxing championship in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on 11th to 17th November 2019 (bronze medal)
National level
- 3rd youth Women’s National Boxing Championship 2019 at Rudrapur, Uttarakhand (Gold medal)
- All India University February 2019 at Udaipur, Rajasthan (Gold medal)
- All India University boxing tournament from 20th to 24th December 2019 at C.C.S. University, Meerut (Gold medal)
- Khelo India youth games from 10th to 22nd January 2020 at Guwahati, Assam (Gold medal)
- Khelo India University games from 25th to 1st March 2020 at Bhubaneswar, Odisha ( bronze medal)
6: Silver at 2021 Senior National Championships, Hisar
7: Silver at 2022 National Games, Gujarat
Arundhati Choudhary (66kg)
Date of Birth: September 5, 2001
Place of Birth: Kota, Rajasthan
Style: Southpaw
Born and raised in Kota, Rajasthan, the center of Indian education, Arundhati always had a passion for sports. However, her father wanted her to pursue a career in engineering because she excelled in arithmetic. However, destiny had other plans for Arundhati as she was determined to pursue a career in sports. Finally, Arundhati was able to persuade her father, although he only agreed to play an individual sport under one condition. Arundhati considered several alternatives before settling on boxing.
