Nikhat Zareen won’t have to spend prize money to buy Mercedes, here's why
1 min read . Updated: 27 Mar 2023, 12:04 PM IST
PremiumNikhat Zareen earlier had plans to use her prize money to buy a Mercedes car.
Mahindra and Mahindra has rewarded Nikhat Zareen with a brand new Thar SUV after she won the world boxing championship in Delhi on March 26. This was her second world championship title, and she won the fight against Nguyen Thi Tam of Vietnam 5-0. Zareen also received $100,000 as prize money for her victory.
Initially, Zareen planned to use her prize money to buy a Mercedes car, but after Mahindra announced its gift, she changed her plans. Zareen said, "I want to send my parents for Umrah because Ramazan is going on." Mahindra and Mahindra has previously rewarded Indian athletes who have won accolades for the country with brand new models, including Olympics Gold medallist javelin champion Neeraj Chopra.
Mahindra announced its gesture of rewarding Zareen with a Thar SUV soon after her win. The carmaker said, "Congratulations to the Mahindra Emerging Boxing Icon. A brand new All-New Thar is a token of our appreciation for her enormous achievement."
Mahindra has a history of rewarding champion athletes with special edition vehicles. The carmaker developed a javelin edition of its flagship SUV XUV700 for Neeraj Chopra, who won a gold medal at the Olympics. Sumit Antil, who won a gold medal in men's javelin throw F64 category at the 2020 Summer Paralympics, also received a personalised XUV700 Javelin Edition.
Avani Lekhara, who won a gold medal in 10m air rifle standing position at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, also received a personalised Javelin Edition.
Born on June 14, 1996, in Nizamabad, Telangana. Zareen's passion for boxing began at an early age, and she began her professional career in 2011.
In 2012, she won the gold medal at the AIBA Women's Youth World Championships. Zareen has also won two gold medals at the Indian Open Boxing Tournament and a silver medal at the Asian Boxing Championships.
Nikhat Zareen won her first world championship title in boxing on May 19, 2022, in Istanbul, Turkey. She defeated Jitpong Jutamas of Thailand 5-0 in the final to claim the championship in the flyweight (52kg) category. With this victory, Zareen became the fifth Indian boxer to win a world title.