Manipur's Ambekar Meetei wins India's first Youth Olympics boxing gold
The 50kg boxer defeated Ireland's Kristian Jubani to secure India's first gold medal at the Dakar Youth Olympics.
Lairenlakpam Ambekar Meetei won India's first gold medal at the Dakar Youth Olympics by defeating Ireland's Kristian Jubani in the men's 50kg boxing final. According to India Today, the boxer from Manipur secured a 3-2 points victory in a closely fought contest.
The win marks India's first gold medal at the ongoing edition of the Games. Before this victory, the Indian contingent had collected three silver medals in badminton, judo and beach wrestling, along with five bronze medals in swimming, Wushu and the women's 100m hurdles.
Ambekar Meetei had to recover from a difficult start in the final. All five judges awarded the first round to Jubani, but the Indian boxer fought back in the second round, where three of the five judges scored it in his favour.
The final round proved decisive as Ambekar Meetei earned the verdict from four judges to seal the win. This achievement is India's first boxing title at the Youth Olympics, following previous medals by Shiv Thapa and Vikas Krishan at the 2010 Singapore edition.
Ambekar Meetei began boxing in 2018 following a suggestion from his maternal uncle, Khadem Sukumar. He is a student of the National Sports Academy at Khuman Lampak Sports Complex in Imphal and has been coached by Vijay Kumar Sharma and Geeta Chanu Oinam.