Indian boxer Nikhat Zareen has had a meteoric rise in the last couple of years, truly gaining popularity after winning gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, where she was also a flag-bearer in the closing ceremony. Now 28, Zareen won bronze in the Asian Games last year. She also became only the second female Indian boxer – after the great MC Mary Kom – to win a World Championships title outside India.

Paris 2024 will be the first time Zareen will be participating in an Olympic Games. However, despite her lack of experience at the biggest stage, she has been tipped as one of India’s brightest shots at a medal.

Introduced to the world of sports by her father, Zareen switched from athletics to boxing when young.