A Lionel Messi fan once wanted to pursue football, Lairenlakpam Ambekar Meetei from Manipur ended up scripting history by bringing the first Gold for the country in boxing during the recently held Youth Olympics. 17 – year –old boxer Ambekar brought home a Gold in the Men’s 50 kg boxing category at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Senegal. His victory put him in the spotlight as he became the first Indian boxer ever to win a Gold at the Youth Olympics by defeating Ireland’s Kristian Jubani.
Interestingly, Almost 16 years ago at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore, Indian had won two medals for boxing- Shiva Thapa’s silver and Vikas Krishnan’s bronze. Moving on to 2018, Indian won three Gold Medals in Buenos Aires. Thus, Indian sportsmanship has always been quite strong in the Youth Olympic Games. This time around, Ambekar brings the first Gold in boxing home.
Ambekar is a resident of Lamlai Mayai Leikai in Imphal East district. Born in 2009, the boxer trained at the National Sports Academy, Kuman Lampak Sports Complex in Imphal. His current training base is the Army sports Institute in Pune under coaches Vijay Kumar Sharma and Geeta Chanu Oinam. Hailing from a modest background, his father runs a food stall and doubles up as a daily wage worker while his mother tailors traditional Manipuri garments.
A fan of football, his initial interest was towards pursuing it, but his maternal uncle noticed his physique and encouraged him to take up boxing instead. He started his training in 2018 and really struggled through his initial days. Touching details of his trainee life emerged when he spoke about struggling to pay for the equipments and travel. He also trained in second hand gloves during his initial days. Moreover, his parents saved money and bought him a cycle with Rs 200 so he could travel to his training academy.
Achievements beyond the Youth Olympics and upcoming competitions
While the Gold in the Youth Olympics brought him under spotlight, he has many achievements beyond it. He won Bronze at the 2025 Asian U-19 Boxing Championships Jakarta; Silver at the 2026 World Boxing Futures Cup, Bangkok; Gold at 8th Youth Men’s National U-19 Boxing Championships Guwahati and more. Ambekar is expected to participate in the Asian U-19 & U-23 Boxing Championships and World Boxing Cups next year. Moreover, with him turning 18 next year, there is a high possibility that he might enter the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
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