India's Ambekar Meetei scripts history with boxing gold at Dakar Youth Olympics

Explained

Lairenlakpam Ambekar Meetei won India's first boxing gold of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games in the men's 50kg category, according to the Times of India, which described the result as making history. Reports from 11 and 12 November trace his run from the quarterfinals to the title.

What happened

On 11 November, the Times of India reported that Ambekar had stopped Namibia's Abraham Kalenga in the opening round of the men's 50kg quarterfinal. The same day, Zee News reported that Ambekar and another Indian boxer, Gunjan, had secured at least two boxing medals for India, and the Times of India said both had reached the semifinals. On Gunjan, that outlet reported a win over Mexico's Atena Sofia Juarez.

The following day, the Times of India reported that Ambekar beat Ireland's Kristian Jubani 3-2 in the final. It also said that earlier in the tournament he had won 5-0 against Colombia's Izzon Jeffrey Galea Arevalo.

Why it matters

The reports present the gold as a first for Indian boxing at these Games, though the Times of India's wording is about the achievement being historic rather than a formal record. Zee News and the Times of India both framed the earlier stage of the tournament as confirming India's medal position in boxing before the final. The reports do not give a total medal tally or compare this result with other years.

What we don't know yet

The reports do not say what medal Gunjan won, or whether he reached the final. The Times of India article on Gunjan's semifinal is cut off in the copy we have, so his weight category and semifinal opponent are not confirmed here. The reports also do not give the full bout-by-bout results for Ambekar's semifinal. The 3-2 final score is reported by only one outlet, so readers should treat it as the Times of India's account. Official results from the organisers are not cited in these reports.

Written by the 91News.in desk with AI assistance, based on reports from Times of India, Zee News. Updated 12 Nov 2026, 10:05 pm. Spotted an error? Tell us.