|
Indian boxer Gunjan scripted history by winning the women's 48kg gold medal at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, defeating Algeria's Bensalah Bouthaina 5-0 in the final on Thursday.
Gunjan's emphatic victory made her the first Indian woman to win a boxing gold medal at the Youth Olympic Games. Her triumph also completed a historic golden double for Indian boxing, with both Indian representatives at the competition finishing on top of the podium. Earlier in the day, Lairenlakpam Ambekar Meetei became the first Indian boxer to win a gold medal at the Youth Olympics after defeating Ireland's Jubani Kristian 3-2 in the men's 50kg final. With both boxers winning their respective finals, India achieved a 100 per cent success rate in boxing at the ongoing edition, with both its participants returning with gold medals, according to a press release from the Boxing Federation of India (BFI). Gunjan's triumph also took India's overall medal tally at Dakar 2026 to 10, comprising two gold, three silver and five bronze medals. India's previous best performance at the Youth Olympic Games came in the 2018 edition in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where the contingent secured 13 medals, including three gold, nine silver and one bronze. The country's campaign in Dakar has witnessed several notable performances across disciplines. In athletics, Shourya Ambure won bronze in the women's 100m hurdles with a personal best of 13.59 seconds, becoming the first Indian woman to win an athletics medal at the Youth Olympic Games. Wrestler Taniya secured India's first-ever youth wrestling medal at the competition, claiming silver in the women's 75kg category after losing 1-2 to China's Min Zhao in the final. Khushbu Rajakbhai Darjada in women's 63kg judo and Tanvi Patri in badminton also won silver medals. Swimming contributed three medals to India's tally, with Dhinidhi Desinghu winning bronze in the women's 100m and 200m freestyle events. She became the first Indian athlete to win multiple medals at a single edition of the Youth Olympic Games. Tirthank Pegu added another bronze in the men's 200m butterfly, becoming the first Indian male swimmer to win a medal at the event. Rajkumari Lanchenbi Chanu also secured bronze in the women's changquan combined wushu event. The two boxing gold medals have provided a significant boost to India's campaign in Dakar, taking the country's medal count to 10 as the young contingent continues its pursuit of a new best-ever Youth Olympic Games performance. (ANI)
|
