Manipur's Ambekar Meetei assures India a boxing medal at Youth Olympics

Manipur boxer Lairenlakpam Ambekar Meetei has made sure India will return from the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, with a boxing medal, after reaching the semi-finals of the men's 50kg event on Tuesday, November 10.

The 17-year-old needed less than two minutes to get past Namibia's Abraham Kalenga in the quarter-final. The referee stopped the contest in the first round, at 1 minute 57 seconds, handing Meetei a win by Referee Stops Contest (RSC), according to PTI reports carried by Sportstar and Rediff.

Reaching the last four guarantees him at least a medal. He now faces Izzon Jeffrey Arevalo of Colombia in the semi-final on Wednesday, November 11, with a place in the gold-medal bout at stake.

Adding to India's tally in Dakar

Before Meetei's quarter-final, India had collected three silver and five bronze medals at the Games, PTI reported. India sent a small squad of 17 athletes to Dakar, so every podium finish counts heavily in the final standings.

The North East has already had reason to cheer in Senegal. Assam's Tirthank Pegu won a bronze in the 200m butterfly earlier in the Games, becoming the first Indian male swimmer to win a Youth Olympics medal.

From Imphal to the national camp

Meetei's route to Dakar runs through Manipur's well-known boxing pipeline. According to a Times of India profile published before the Games, he first stepped into the ring in 2018, encouraged by his uncle, Khadem Sukumar.

He began training at the National Sports Academy in the Khuman Lampak Sports Complex in Imphal and was picked for the national coaching camp in 2025. He later moved into the national set-up at the National Institute of Sports in Patiala.

His international results have climbed steadily:

• Asian U-15 and U-17 Championships, Amman (2025): first notable showing on the continental stage.
• World Boxing Futures Cup, Bangkok (March 2026): a silver medal that secured his Youth Olympics quota.
• Asian U-19 and U-22 Championships, Jakarta (2026): further strong performances in the junior ranks.

His coach, Geeta, told the newspaper that his family had backed him throughout, and that parents now have more confidence that children can build a future through sport.

What happens next

In Olympic-style boxing, both losing semi-finalists normally receive bronze, which is why a semi-final place is described as an assured medal. A win against Arevalo on Wednesday would put Meetei into the final and in contention for gold.

Manipur has a long record of producing top boxers, including Olympic medallist M.C. Mary Kom, and a podium finish in Dakar would add Meetei's name to a growing list of young fighters from the state making a mark internationally. NEInsider will update this story after the semi-final.