Nikhat Zareen is three weeks away from fulfilling a dream that no one around her shared. At the age of fifteen, she decided to go against the odds and take up boxing, a sport theoretically for men. She defied those who mocked her for wanting to succeed Mary Kom as the face of Indian boxing, and now has her sights set on adding an Olympic medal to her growing list of achievements.

Zareen is already a two-time world champion and Commonwealth Games gold medallist. Most importantly, she is one of the favourites in the women's 50kg category in Paris.

"I am blessed and grateful to have achieved my dream of becoming a world champion," said the 28-year-old as she prepared for the Games. Now," she added in an interview with AFP, "I want to fulfil my second dream of winning an Olympic medal", she said.

Like all stories of overcoming adversity, Zareen's journey has not been easy. She was born into a conservative Muslim family in the south-central state of Telangana, where boxing was not a family priority. Zareen's father took her to train for athletics. However when she arrived, the future champion noticed something else. "Once, when we were at the stadium, there were girls in every sport except boxing," Zareen told the Olympics.com website.

She asked her father if boxing was just for boys. It caught her attention. She was determined. At the age of 12 she had her first sparring session. She ended up with a bloody nose, which motivated her even more. She didn't hide; she decided to remember it and return the favour later.

However, her real battle was not just in the ring. Many Indian families disapprove of women taking up sport as a career. Her mother tried to stop her dream of becoming a boxer. Her mother, her father, her environment... However Zareen decided to go against her family and continue despite the disapproving looks.

Her testimony is a statement of intent. As a Muslim woman, she became aware of the limitations of society. As she told the Times of India. "Often girls don't try to come out of their comfort zone," she added.

Zareen feels the pressure, but knows how to deal with it. In India, Kom was a pioneer. Her exploits in the ring over more than two decades have earned her worldwide acclaim. Now 41, Kom overcame poverty and societal challenges, including her father, to win six world titles between 2002 and 2018, a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics and gold medals at the Asian and Commonwealth Games.

Her life story was made into a Bollywood film in 2014. Kom retired without the Olympic gold medal that Zareen can now win.

If Kom's career was promising, so was Zareen's. At the age of 15, just three years into her career, she won a Junior World Cup event. A controversial fight with Kom in 2019 left her out of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

However, now she is much more mature and motivated. "People have a lot of expectations from me," Zareen said. The boxer knows everyone is watching. To distract herself and calm her nerves before the competition, she listens to music, prays and plays games. 

She is an example of overcoming adversity and defiance. She overcame social challenges and went from being someone who didn't fit in to becoming the face of Indian boxing.