Paris Olympics: How boxer Nikhat Zareen’s medal hopes got hit because of IOC, IBA war that left her unseeded

Nikhat Zareen’s draw luck continues to follow her. After being unseeded at the 2023 World Championships and then the 2023 Asian Games, the Indian boxer was handed a tough draw due to being unseeded, despite a host of medals in this Olympic cycle.

India’s best boxing medal hope at the 2024 Paris Olympics was drawn into a group of some of the best boxers in her weight category and will have to fight five highly competitive matches against a myriad of boxers all with a skill set that can test the 28-year-old – a story that has been repeated and rinsed in this Olympic cycle if you are Nikhat Zareen.

The Olympics are meant to be tough. Nikhat’s teammate Amit Panghal would be the first person to tell her that. There are no free lunches here but as has been the case recently, the way that the International Olympic Committee has handled the seeding for the Paris Games has essentially put some of the topmost boxers of different countries in the same bracket.

What does Nikhat’s bracket look like?

Terrible for her. The Nizamabad boxer gets a start against Germany’s Maxi Karina Kloetzer in the Round of 32. That bout is then followed by a showdown against Wu Yu, the top seeded boxer at the Paris Olympics 50 kg category and the 2023 World Championship gold medallist in the 52 kg category.

The advantage for Zareen will be that Wu’s first Paris Olympics bout will be against her. A rusty start for the Chinese pugilist and suddenly all bets are off. The trouble though is that even if Zareen is able to pull off a win here, she would next have to face Thailand’s Chuthamat Raksat – a boxer that has forever troubled the Indian and beat her on the way to a silver medal at the Asian Games. If Raksat loses her bout, then Nikhat goes up against Uzbekistan’s Sabina Bobokulova – a boxer she only recently lost 2-3 to at the Strandja Memorial.

If Zareen is able to overcome the four matches in her bracket, chances are she will face Turkey’s Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Bus Naz Cakiroglu – a boxer she recently beat 4-1. (X)

After that, the semi-final of her bracket could see her face Ingrit Valencia – a top Colombian boxer, Y Oyuntsetseg – the Asian Games bronze medallist, or Kazakh boxer Nazym Kyzaibay. And if Zareen is able to overcome the four matches in her bracket, chances are she will face Turkey’s Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Bus Naz Cakiroglu – a boxer she recently beat 4-1.

Why are the draws skewed towards one bracket

Due to the International Olympic Committee not recognising the International Boxing Association, both of the two World Championships won by Zareen in this Olympic cycle did not give her a top seeding in her category.
The Paris 2024 Boxing Unit (PBU) came up with a way to conduct seeding. A total of eight boxers per category would be given seeding, with the priority being given to the Continental qualifiers. All five champions from continental Games (Asian, European Games) would also receive a seeding. Additionally, the second-placed boxer from Asian, European and American continental events would also be seeded. Boxers like Zareen and Nishant Dev thus missed out on receiving a seeding, which could have come with a direct entry into the Round of 16 and one lesser bout till the final.

What about the other Indian boxers?

The situation is quite dire for most. Amit Panghal, out of action for three years and making a comeback to the national team, is in the same bracket as Hsanboy Dusmatov – the favourite to win the Men’s 51kg event and Saken Bibossinov – another top boxer, who could have contended for gold had he not been clubbed into the same category as two former World Championship medallists.

Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain was seeded eighth and is scheduled to meet Li Qian in the quarter-finals should both boxers win their initial bouts. Li Qian beat Borgohain in Hangzhou but Borgohain had beaten Qian in New Delhi at the World Championships. Both boxers are multiple time World Championship winners and have Olympic medals to boot. Borgohain avoided Cindy Ngamba of the Refugee team – a favourite to win the Women’s 75kg category in Paris.

Jaismine Lamboriya, who won the quota after Parveen Hooda was tagged for a whereabouts failure, has her work cut out for her in the 57kg category. She faces Tokyo silver medallist Nesthy Petecio of the Philippines in her opening bout itself. Asian Games bronze medallist Preeti Pawar faces Vietnam’s Vo Thi Kim Anh in her opener.

Does any Indian boxer have a decent draw?

Not really, but the best draw is easily Nishant Dev’s. The 2023 World Championship bronze medallist has a bye in the Round of 16, then faces Ecuador’s Tenorio Rodriquez and then Mexico’s Marco Alonso Verde in the quarterfinals. In the semi-final, a potential World Championship rematch against Kazakh boxer Aslam Shymbergenov awaits.

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