Nikhat Zareen conquered in the women’s 50 kg category by a lead of 5-0 in the Olympics pre-quarterfinals against German Pugilist Maxi Carina Kloetzer at the North Paris Arena on Sunday.
The two-time world champion Zareen, earned a unanimous decision in her first match against a rather aggressive Kloetzer who intended to run ragged Nikhat in the opening set which saw German in the lead by 2-3.
The crowd which out-shouted the Indians, supporting Maxi, saw skilled-up attacks by Nikhat who fought back in the second round with a lead of 2-0.
Despite having a deduction in points by the referee in the second round for both Kloetzer and Zareen, the Indian advancing to the third set had an extra nudge.
In the last round, which appeared as a strenuous wrestling bout, Nikhat maintained her position in the front and secured a unanimous decision of scoring 5-0 in her first match in the Olympics.
Unseeded Zareen, who is also making her Olympic debut said,
“I had not sparred with this opponent during our camp in Germany.”
“I did not expect her to fight like this. I managed to change my plan and am happy to get unanimous decision in my Olympics debut match.”
Speaking on her performance in the opening round, she said,
“I was a little nervous. That happens with me in the first bout of every tournament. It helps me give my best,” said Nikhat.
Nikhat will now face top-seeded Chinese and Asian Games Champion Wu Yu in the next round on Thursday.
Earlier, Preeti Panwar also won against Vietnamese Vo Thi Kim Anh by 5-0 in the 54 Kg category. She will now take on World silver medalist and Pan American Games champion Yeni Arais of Colombia on Tuesday.
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