Nikhat Zareen: Wanted to prove girls are strong enough to box

After a warm welcome in the country the 25yearold newlycrowned world champion boxer Nikhat Zareen has started preparations for the Paris Olympics Currently her primary focus is to cement her place in Commonwealth Games CWG In the interview she talks more on her goalsWho is your role modelBefore coming into boxing I didnrsquot know any boxers Later when I started doing it I came to know about the great Muhammad Ali saw his videos and was really inspired by him Since then he has been my idolHow has Indian boxing evolved over the yearsIndian boxing has come a long way Earlier there was no proper infrastructure We didnrsquot even have a dedicated federation but since the federation was established Indian boxing has grown Now we have Olympic medalists and world champions The training facilities are also getting better and better Then we have quality upcoming talents So Irsquod say it has evolved a lot but we still have a long way to goHow did you end up being a boxerDuring the summer games I was walking with my father in the stadium I saw girls in all the sports except boxing I asked my dad why there are no girls in boxing Then my dad told me that itrsquos a game which involves fighting and risks of face injuries and people believe that boxing is only for men not for women That thought struck me hard and then I decided to take up boxing and prove that girls are strong enough and can do boxingWhat are your future targetsRight now Irsquom just thinking of getting my place in the CWG team and then Irsquoll focus on getting a medal at the CWG and then my target will be the Asian games but my ultimate target is winning a medal at the Paris OlympicsWhat does a typical day in your life look likeItrsquos like any other athlete I have training sessions in the morning and evening I enjoy spending some quality time with family and friends I go to bed by 103011pmApart from physical training what kind of mental coaching goes into being a championI have counselling sessions with my psychologist to calm myself and handle stress We also have video sessions which help us evaluate our mistakes and work on them during the training Also it helps us to prepare for the boutsAfter your victory Salman Khan too tweeted and congratulated you What was your first reaction on seeing his tweetIt was the happiest moment in my life I was filled with joy I couldnrsquot believe that he actually tweeted for me I even cried because it was such a big thing for meIf not a boxer Nikhat Zareen would beIf not a boxer Irsquod be an IPS officer or track and field runnerBiggest opponentchallenge you faced outside the ringI canrsquot rank the challenges because each of them was very big for me From fighting against orthodox society to making a comeback after a year and half injury and then patiently waiting for an opportunity It was really a tough period but I did not give upYour picture with Mary Kom went viral How has your relationship with Mary Kom changed over the yearsI wanted to start afresh I went to her with our head coach to show my medal and she congratulated me and motivated me to do better Irsquom also glad that she tweeted for me