Asian Games 2023: Nikhat Zareen loses to Thailand's Raksat Chuthamat in semis, settles for a bronze

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Asian Games 2023: In a major upset, two-time Boxing World Champion and one of the biggest gold medal hopefuls, Nikhat Zareen lost to Thailand's Raksat Chuthamat in a closely fought semi-final contest here at Hangzhou Gymnasium on Sunday (October 1) in Asian Games 2023.

Nikhat Zareen suffered a 3-2 defeat in the semi-final of the 50kg category against the Thai boxer whom she defeated in the quarter-finals of the IBA Women's World Boxing Championships 2023 in New Delhi. With the loss, Nikhat's journey in her debut Asian Games ended with a bronze medal.

The ace Indian boxer took the first round by split verdict as three out of five judges ruled in the favour of the Indian boxer and she took the bout.

However, the contest was looked even with both pugilists landing some strong and clear punches. However, Nikhat looked more aggressive in the first round to convince more judges.

The second bout also saw Nikhat winning by a split verdict of 3-2 against the Thai. It was another win for Nikhat but the two boxers fought tooth and nail. The result meant the Indian couldn't put her guard down as she was leading with a marginal difference.

Raksat came back strongly in the third and deciding bout and having played against Nikhat in the past, the Thailand pugilist started aggressively and landed punches in the right spot to catch the Indian off-guard. Nikhat tried to counter her opponent and dealt her opponent with some punches but they weren't enough to impress the judges.

At the end of the third bout, there were no clear winners, but Nikhat visibly looked unhappy with her performance and the judges' verdict confirmed her displeasure that she wasn't the better of the two boxers in the semifinals.

Earlier in the day, Nikhat's compatriot Parveen Hooda entered the women's semi-finals in the 57kg category by defeating Sitora Turdibekova of Uzbekistan by unanimous decision. Hooda, the 23-year-old boxer, also secured a maiden Asian Games medal as well as a quota for the Paris 2024 Olympics next year by virtue of making the top four.