Boxer Nikhat Zareen has congratulated Mary Kom after the six-time world champion booked her spot for the Tokyo Olympic Games slated to be played in July and August this year.
"Many congratulations to Mary Kom on her qualification for the Tokyo Olympic Games! Wishing her the very best for Tokyo! #JaiHind," tweeted Nikhat on Tuesday after Mary Kom booked her second Olympic appearance by reaching the semi-finals at the Asian/Oceanian Olympic qualifiers in Amman, Jordan. She, however, had to settle for bronze as she lost her semi-final bout against reigning Asian Games champion Yuan Chang.
Nikhat and Mary Kom have been at loggerheads ever since the World Championships after the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) had hinted that there would be no trials between the two boxers for going to the Olympic Qualifiers and that the six-time World Champion would go for the Olympic Qualifiers, originally scheduled to be held in Wuhan, China.
However, the duo participated in the trials in the national capital in December last year where Mary Kom defeated Nikhat 9-1. Following the clash, Mary Kom had refused to shake hands with Nikhat as she believed the younger pugilist had been disrespectful towards her.
"Why should I shake hands with her? If she wants others to respect her then she should first respect others. I don't like people with such nature. Just prove your point inside the ring, not outside," Mary Kom had said after her bout.
Nikhat, however, maintained that her fight was not against Mary Kom but against a system that was not giving her a fair chance to prove herself in her weight category and go for the big competitions.
"Even I never imagined that all this will happen," Nikhat had told IANS.
