Asian Games 2023: Two-time World Champion Nikhat Zareen on Friday secured India's first Boxing medal at the Asian Games 2023 with a dominant win over Jordan's Hanan Nassar in the 50kg quarterfinal. The Indian pugilist outclassed her opponent as she registered an RSC (Referee stops contest) win to reach the semifinals of the event. She has also booked her quota for the Paris Olympics 2024.
Zareen was aggressive right from the start and registered a win in the first round itself with 53 seconds remaining in the three-minute round. She landed her punches on Nassar, who was finding it hard to survive against the star boxer. The Jordan pugilist got three standing counts from the referee but the official had to stop the match due to Zareen's regular punches. The Indian star will now face Chuthamat Raksat in the semifinal bout on October 1.
Nikhat gets the Olympic quota
With this win, Nikhat has booked the quota for the Paris Olympics. A semifinal finish will be enough for the world champion to get the Olympic quota. There are a total of 34 Olympic quotas available for India at the Asian Games for Boxing, out of which 20 are for women pugilists. A women boxer reaching the semifinal of the 50kg, 54kg, 57kg and 60kg events receives the quotas.
India has won a total of 32 medals at the Hangzhou Games on the first six days of the Games. Shooting has been the biggest boon for India so far with 18 medals coming from the sport. India has won a total of eight Gold medals at the Asiad 2023. Shooting has managed to provide six Gold medals. Rowing has also provided eight medals to the nation and a few other sports are in line to bring more glory home.
