Mary Kom beats Nikhat Zareen, refuses to shake hands
What's the story
Veteran women's boxer Mary Kom secured a berth in the Indian team for the Tokyo Olympics 2020 qualifiers. The boxing ace defeated Nikhat Zareen 9-1 in the shootout for a berth in the side. She beat Zareen in the 51kg category and then refused to shake hands with her. Here are further details on the same.
Trials
Women's trials to conclude today, men's trials from tomorrow
Earlier, in the 51kg category, the Olympic medalist defeated her opponent Ritu Grewal in a unanimous decision while Zareen too outclassed her opponent Jyoti on Friday. The trials for the women boxers are underway and will conclude on Saturday. Meanwhile, the men's trials will take place from December 29 to 30.
Zareen
Zareen had demanded a 'fair chance' to contest the qualifiers
Zareen had demanded a 'fair chance' to contest the Tokyo Olympic qualifiers. On October 17, she had written to the Sports Ministry challenging the Boxing Federation of India's (BFI) decision to accommodate world champion Kom by changing its rule of exempting gold and silver medallists from the World Cup. Kom had won a bronze in the 51kg semi-final at the Women's World Boxing Championships.
Refusal
Why should I shake hands with her? asks Kom
Kom refused to shake hands with Zareen. "Why should I shake hands with her? If she wants others to respect her then she should first respect others. I don't like people with such nature. Just prove your point inside the ring, not outside," Kom said. Zareen lost in a split verdict and a few representatives from her home state Telangana's boxing association cried foul.
Behavior
I did not like how she behaved with me: Zareen
Meanwhile, Zareen said she tried to hug Kom but the latter didn't pay heed. "I did not like how she (Mary Kom) behaved with me, because when the decision was announced and I tried to hug her, she did not hug me back. Being a junior I expect from seniors that they respect juniors too, so I felt hurt," she said.