Nikhat Zareen Exits Olympics After Shocking Defeat to Wu Yu

Nikhat Zareen, a two-time world champion, faced an early exit from the Olympic Games after a 5-0 defeat against Wu Yu of China. Despite her strong start, Zareen struggled in her debut appearance, losing to the reigning flyweight world champion. Wu advanced after receiving an opening round bye.

Two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen (50kg) saw her Olympic dreams dashed after a shocking loss to Asian Games gold-medallist Wu Yu of China on Thursday. The surprising defeat came by a resounding 5-0 verdict, marking an early exit for the unseeded Indian boxer.

Nikhat, who was highly anticipated to be one of India's top medal hopefuls, struggled to find her range in the bout. This marked a disappointing end to her Games debut, despite having defeated Germany's Maxi Karina Kloetzer in her opening round.

Wu, the reigning flyweight (52kg) world champion, had a favorable start to her campaign with an opening round bye. She capitalized on the opportunity, showcasing her supremacy in the ring against Nikhat.

(With inputs from agencies.)