DAKAR | Manipur boxer Lairenlakpam Ambekar Meetei scripted history on November 12 by becoming the first Indian to win a boxing gold medal at the Youth Olympic Games, defeating Ireland’s Jubani Kristian 3-2 in the men’s 50kg final at Dakar 2026.

His landmark victory not only brought India its first-ever Youth Olympics boxing gold but also marked the country’s first gold medal at the ongoing edition of the Games. According to the Boxing Federation of India (BFI), the triumph took India’s overall medal tally to nine.

India had never won a gold medal in boxing at the Youth Olympic Games before Ambekar Meetei’s achievement. The country’s tally now stands at one gold, three silver and five bronze medals, placing the Indian contingent ninth in the overall standings.

Ambekar Meetei had displayed impressive form throughout the competition. Before entering the final, he registered a convincing 5-0 victory over Colombia’s Izzon Jeffrey Galea Arevalo in the semi-finals.

India 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.

India’s medal-winning performances at Dakar have come across several disciplines, including athletics, wrestling, judo, badminton, swimming and wushu. In athletics, Shourya Ambure won bronze in the women’s 100m hurdles with a personal best of 13.59 seconds, becoming the first Indian woman to win an athletics medal at the Youth Olympic Games.

Wrestler Taniya secured silver in the women’s 75kg category, earning India its first-ever youth wrestling medal at the competition. She lost 1-2 to China’s Min Zhao, a 2025 U17 World Wrestling Championships gold medallist in the 69kg category, in the final.

Khushbu Rajakbhai Darjada in women’s 63kg judo and Tanvi Patri in badminton also contributed silver medals to India’s tally. Swimming added three more medals. Dhinidhi Desinghu won bronze in both the women’s 100m and 200m freestyle events, becoming the first Indian athlete to claim multiple medals at a single edition of the Youth Olympic Games.

Tirthank Pegu also created history by winning bronze in the men’s 200m butterfly, becoming the first Indian male swimmer to secure a medal at the competition. Rajkumari Lanchenbi Chanu added another bronze in wushu in the women’s changquan combined event.

India’s best-ever Youth Olympic Games performance came in 2018 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 final still to come, India will look to improve on its previous best medal performance at the Dakar Games.