L Ambekar Meetei scripted history by winning India's first-ever boxing gold medal at the Youth Olympic Games
DAKAR — L Ambekar Meetei scripted history by winning India's first-ever boxing gold medal at the Youth Olympic Games, defeating Ireland's Kristian Jubani 3-2 in the men's 50kg final here on Thursday.
Ambekar's triumph marks a landmark moment for Indian boxing at the Youth Olympics, with Shiva Thapa's (60kg) silver medal at the 2010 Games being the country's previous best performance in the sport.
Vikas Krishan has a bronze to his name at the Youth Olympics Games, winning the medal in the 2010 edition in Singapore.
Ambekar, who trains at the National Institute of Sports (NIS) in Patiala, enjoyed a dominant run to the final, stopping Namibia's Abraham Kalenga in the first round of their quarterfinal bout before registering a comprehensive 5-0 victory over Colombia's Izzon Jeffrey Galea Arevalo in the semifinals.
Ambekar, from Manipur, then held his nerve in a closely contested final to prevail by a 3-2 split decision and secure the historic gold.
This is India's best performance at the Youth Olympics, with another finalist Gunjan fighting for the gold medal in the women's 48kg competition.