Lairenlakpam Storms into Dakar Youth Olympics Boxing Semifinals, Assures India of Medal

New Delhi: India's Lairenlakpam Ambekar Meetei delivered a dominant performance to enter the men's 50kg boxing semifinals at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, guaranteeing the country another medal in the competition.

Lairenlakpam defeated Namibia's Abraham Kalenga in the quarterfinals through a Referee Stops Contest (RSC) decision in the opening round. The referee halted the bout at 1:57, recognising the Indian boxer's overwhelming dominance.

India's medal prospects received a further boost as Gunjan also booked her place in the semifinals of the women's 48kg category. She outclassed Mexico's Atena Sofia Juarez Calero with a unanimous 5-0 victory in her quarterfinal bout.

With both boxers advancing to the last four, India are assured of at least two bronze medals, irrespective of their results in the semifinals.

Lairenlakpam's emphatic victory and Gunjan's convincing performance underline India's growing presence in the youth boxing competition, with both athletes now having an opportunity to fight for a place in the final.

The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games mark a historic milestone for African sport, with Dakar becoming the first African city to host an Olympic sporting event. Around 2,700 athletes are expected to participate in 25 sports, competing for 153 medal events across three host locations — Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly.

India has secured 23 medals in the three previous editions of the Youth Olympics, comprising three gold, 16 silver and four bronze. The country has also earned four medals in mixed National Olympic Committee events, where athletes from different countries compete together, though these are excluded from India's official medal tally.

India's best performance came at the Buenos Aires 2018 edition, where the contingent won 13 medals, including three gold, nine silver and one bronze.

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