Lairenlakpam Ambekar Meetei became the first Indian boxer to secure a gold medal at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, defeating Ireland's Jubani Kristian in the 50kg final to help India reach a total tally of nine medals so far.
Ambekar Meetei Scripts History Winning Indias First Boxing Gold Medal
Dakar [Senegal], November 12 (ANI): Lairenlakpam Ambekar Meetei scripted history by becoming the first Indian boxer to win a gold medal at the Youth Olympic Games, defeating Ireland's Jubani Kristian 3-2 in the men's 50kg final at Dakar 2026 on Thursday. The historic triumph also handed India their first gold medal at the ongoing edition of the Youth Olympics, taking the country's overall medal tally to nine, according to a press note from BFI (Boxing Federation of India).
Ambekar Meetei's victory marked a significant milestone for Indian boxing, as the country had never won a gold medal in the sport at the Youth Olympic Games. India have now collected nine medals at the ongoing competition, comprising one gold, three silver and five bronze, and are placed ninth in the overall standings. The Indian contingent could add another gold to its tally, with Gunjan scheduled to compete in the women's boxing final at 10:30 pm IST on Thursday. She booked her place in the title clash after defeating Great Britain's Lily Bassett 4-1 in the semi-finals.
Ambekar Meetei had also produced an impressive performance in the semi-finals, outclassing Colombia's Izzon Jeffrey Galea Arevalo 5-0 to enter the gold medal bout. India's previous medals at Dakar have come across several disciplines, with the country's young athletes producing notable performances in athletics, wrestling, judo, badminton, swimming and wushu.
In athletics, Shourya Ambure won bronze in the women's 100m hurdles, clocking a personal best of 13.59 seconds. Her achievement also made her the first Indian woman to win an athletics medal at the Youth Olympic Games. Wrestler Taniya secured India's first-ever youth wrestling medal at the event, claiming silver in the women's 75kg category. She went down 1-2 against China's Min Zhao, the 2025 U17 World Wrestling Championships gold medallist in the 69kg category, in the final. Khushbu Rajakbhai Darjada (women's 63kg judo) and Tanvi Patri (badminton) also contributed silver medals to India's tally.
Swimming produced two bronze medals for Dhinidhi Desinghu, who finished on the podium in the women's 100m and 200m freestyle events. She became the first Indian athlete to win multiple medals at a single edition of the Youth Olympic Games. Tirthank Pegu added another bronze in the men's 200m butterfly, becoming the first Indian male swimmer to win a medal at the Youth Olympics. Rajkumari Lanchenbi Chanu also secured bronze in the women's changquan combined wushu event. India's best-ever Youth Olympic Games campaign came in the 2018 edition in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where the contingent finished with 13 medals, including three gold, nine silver and one bronze. With Ambekar Meetei's historic triumph and Gunjan's upcoming final, India have an opportunity to further improve their medal tally at the ongoing Dakar Games. (ANI)
