India has opened its gold medal account at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, with a memorable victory in boxing.

Manipur’s Lairenlakpam Ambekar Meitei clinched the gold medal in the men’s 50kg category after defeating Ireland’s Christian Jubani in a closely fought final.

Meitei secured a 3-2 victory to become India’s first gold medallist at the ongoing Youth Olympics. His win also marked a major moment for Indian boxing, as the young pugilist became the first Indian boxer to win gold at the Youth Olympic Games.

He is the first Indian boxer and the third athlete overall to win gold for India at the Youth Olympics. At the 2018 edition, India won three gold medals, with Jeremy Lalrinnunga winning in weightlifting, while Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary claimed gold in their respective shooting events.

Meitei’s achievement is also only India’s second medal in boxing at the Youth Olympics. Shiva Thapa won the country’s first boxing medal at the inaugural edition in 2010, securing silver in the men’s 54kg category.

With Meitei’s gold, India’s medal tally at the 2026 Youth Olympics has reached nine. The country has now won one gold, three silver and five bronze medals.

He began his knockout-stage campaign with a dominant performance against Namibia’s Abraham Kalenga. The Indian boxer knocked out his opponent in the first round of their quarter-final bout to book a place in the last four.

Meitei continued his strong run in the semi-final, where he faced Colombia’s Izzon Jeffrey Galea Arevalo. He delivered a commanding performance to secure a 5-0 victory and qualify for the gold medal bout.

The final against Ireland’s Christian Jubani proved to be a much closer contest. However, Meitei kept his composure under pressure and edged past his opponent 3-2 to secure the gold medal.

The victory marked a proud moment for Manipur and Indian boxing, as Meitei became the first Indian boxer to stand on top of the podium at the Youth Olympic Games.