Youth Olympics 2026: Indian boxing achieved an unprecedented milestone at the 2026 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, on Thursday, November 12, as young pugilists Lairenlakpam Ambekar Meetei and Gunjan captured India’s first-ever boxing gold medals in the history of the competition.
According to media reports and official statements from the Boxing Federation of India (BFI), both athletes topped the podium in their respective weight categories, ensuring a 100 percent gold-medal conversion rate for the two-member Indian boxing contingent in Dakar.
With these twin victories on the penultimate day of the Games, India concluded its Dakar 2026 campaign with an impressive haul of 10 medals, two gold, three silver, and five bronze marking the country’s second-best overall performance in Youth Olympic history.
Ambekar Meetei Delivers India’s First Youth Olympics Boxing Gold
Youth Olympics 2026: Manipur’s Lairenlakpam Ambekar Meetei etched his name into Indian sporting folklore first by clinching the gold medal in the boys’ 50kg category.
Facing Ireland’s Kristian Jubani in a fiercely contested championship bout, Ambekar showcased sharp tactical awareness and composure under pressure to edge out his opponent via a 3-2 split decision.
According to media reports, Ambekar a student of the National Sports Academy at Imphal’s Khuman Lampak Sports Complex who trained at the national camp in Patiala enjoyed a dominant run en route to the final.
He registered clean victories over Senegal’s Cheikh Ibrahima Fall Faye, Namibia’s Abraham Kalenga, and a commanding 5-0 semifinal triumph over Colombia’s Izzon Jeffrey Galea Arevalo before capturing the historic title.
Gunjan Completes Golden Double in Women’s 48kg Category
Youth Olympics 2026: Just hours after Ambekar’s breakthrough triumph, Haryana’s Gunjan doubled India’s gold tally with a clinical display in the girls’ 48kg final.
Taking on Algeria’s Bouthaina Bensalah, Gunjan dictated the tempo across all three rounds, utilizing crisp footwork and accurate combinations to secure a unanimous 5-0 victory.
According to media reports, Gunjan who hails from Dhana Kalan village in Haryana’s Hisar district—had earlier avenged a past defeat by overcoming Great Britain’s Lily Bassett 4-1 in the semifinals.
Prior to Dakar 2026, India’s only boxing medals at the Youth Olympics had come at the inaugural 2010 edition in Singapore, where Shiva Thapa won silver and Vikas Krishan claimed bronze.
BFI President Ajay Singh hailed the twin golds as a landmark moment that underscores the growing depth of India’s grassroots boxing talent pipeline.
India’s Full Medal Tally at Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games
Youth Olympics 2026: According to media reports, India’s 17-member contingent won medals across seven of the 11 disciplines it competed in at Dakar 2026, finishing just behind its all-time best tally of 13 medals recorded at Buenos Aires 2018.
Notably, five of the medallists are Khelo India athletes, and swimmer Dhinidhi Desinghu became the first Indian athlete to win multiple medals at a single Youth Olympic edition.
Gold Medals (2): Lairenlakpam Ambekar Meetei (Boys’ 50kg Boxing) and Gunjan (Girls’ 48kg Boxing).
Silver Medals (3): Khushbu Rajakbhai Darjada (Girls’ 63kg Judo), Tanvi Patri (Girls’ Singles Badminton), and Taniya (Girls’ Freestyle 75kg Beach Wrestling — India’s first youth wrestling medal).
Bronze Medals (5): Dhinidhi Desinghu (Girls’ 100m Freestyle and 200m Freestyle Swimming), Tirthank Pegu (Boys’ 200m Butterfly Swimming), Shourya Ambure (Girls’ 100m Hurdles Athletics — India’s first female athletics medallist at the Youth Olympics), and Rajkumari Lanchenbi Chanu (Girls’ Changquan Combined Wushu).