Olympic-bound Nikhat Zareen is off to a great start at the Elorda Cup 2024

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Reigning world champion Nikhat Zareen (52kg) has made a spectacular start at the Elorda Cup 2024 in Astana, Kazakhstan. On the opening day of the tournament, Zareen delivered a convincing performance, securing a 5-0 win against Kazakhstan’s Rakhymberdi Zhansaya.

Nikhat Zareen leads India at the Elorda Cup

Zareen’s performance not only set the tone for the tournament but also boosted the morale of the Indian contingent. Zareen is leading the 21-member Indian team in this prestigious tournament, which witnesses participation from strong boxing nations such as Kazakhstan, China, India, Japan, and Uzbekistan.

In addition to Zareen’s victory, Minakshi (48kg) also advanced to the next round with a 4-1 victory over Gassymova Roxana of Kazakhstan. Anamika, in the 50kg category bout, defeated Zhumabayeva Arailym with a referee stop the contest (RSC) win in the first round.

However, the tournament also saw some setbacks for the Indian team. Ishmeet Singh (75kg) and Sonia (54kg) bowed out after losing 0-5 against Kazakhstan’s Armanuly Armat and China’s Chang Yuan respectively.

Looking ahead, six-time Asian Championships medallist Shiva Thapa (63.5kg), Sanjay (80kg), and Gaurav Chauhan (92+) will be in action on Tuesday alongside three other Indian boxers.

The prestigious tournament has been witnessing the participation of pugilists from strong boxing nations such as Kazakhstan, China, India, Japan and Uzbekistan.

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