The Indian youth athletes had a breakthrough performance in Dakar, winning two boxing gold medals and numerous firsts. A total of nine athletes returned from Dakar with a podium finish.
A Campaign to Remember: India finish with second-highest medal haul
The Indian team had an incredible campaign that ended with 10 medals (2 gold, 3 silver and 5 bronze) at the 2026 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal. This was the second-highest medal haul at the Youth Olympic Games in India’s history, after missing out on breaking the record set in Buenos Aires 2018 with 13 medals. Nine of the 17 athletes returned to India with medals, making this an incredibly important campaign for the future of sports in the country. In addition, India claimed podium positions in seven of the eleven disciplines they participated in.
Boxing makes History with two gold medals
The highlight of the Indian campaign came from boxing, as they won their first-ever gold medals in the history of the Youth Olympic Games. Both Lairenlakpam Ambekar Meetei and Gunjan gave incredible performances to win a historic double. Ambekar Meetei started off the celebrations by winning gold in the Men’s 50kg category. She defeated Kristian Jubani of Ireland in a tight final, winning 3-2.
Next, Gunjan won gold in the Women’s 48kg category. She dominated the final by winning 5-0 against Bouthaina Bensalah of Algeria. This was not only the second gold medal of the day for India, it was also the first time an Indian woman has won a boxing gold medal. Both athletes had an incredible achievement by winning gold medals.
Swimming was the most dominant sport for India at Dakar, winning three medals in total. Dhinidhi Desinghu was the star performer for swimming, winning bronze in both Women’s 100m and 200m Freestyle. Dhinidhi made history with her double podium finish as she became the first Indian athlete to win two medals at one edition of the Youth Olympic Games. Tirthank Pegu won another bronze in the Men’s 200m Butterfly. He became the first ever male Indian swimming athlete to win a medal at the Youth Olympic Games.
India wins its first-ever medals in multiple sports
India had many historic achievements in multiple sports. Athletics saw Shourya Ambure become the first Indian female to win a medal, winning bronze in Women’s 100m Hurdles. She ran a personal best time of 13.59 seconds. Beach Wrestling saw Taniya win silver in Women’s 75kg Freestyle. This was the first-ever medal for India in the sport. Badminton saw Tanvi Patri win silver in Women’s Singles. This was the first time an Indian woman has won a badminton medal. Khushbu Rajakbhai Darjada won silver in Women’s 63kg Judo.
Wushu also saw India win its first-ever medal at the Youth Olympics. Rajkumari Lanchenbi Chanu won bronze in Women’s Changquan Combined. She is a camper at the Sports Authority of India’s National Centre of Excellence in Imphal. Five athletes in total were part of the Khelo India programme. These include Tanvi Patri, Khushbu Rajakbhai Darjada, Shourya Ambure, Gunjan and Tirthank Pegu. This shows how important it is to invest in grassroots development and athlete spotting so young athletes can perform well internationally.
India had an incredible performance at Dakar. This was their third time competing in the Summer Youth Olympic Games. They first competed in Singapore in 2010, then competed in Nanjing in 2014, and finally in Buenos Aires in 2018. Now they had arrived in Dakar for the 2026 edition of the Games. The Youth Olympic Games are known to give young athletes a chance to compete internationally before moving up to the senior levels. Many famous names from Indian sports such as Manu Bhaker, Jeremy Lalrinnunga, Lakshya Sen and Shiva Thapa have won medals at previous Youth Olympic Games.
India had an incredible time at Dakar with 10 medals. This shows how the ambitions of Indian athletes are moving away from traditional strong sports. They won medals in Swimming, Beach Wrestling, Wushu and Athletics. Although the highlight of the campaign was the two boxing gold medals, athletes such as Dhinidhi Desinghu, Shourya Ambure and Taniya showed some great promise. Now the challenge is to keep this momentum going and provide athletes with regular exposure to compete internationally. This may have only been the start of a huge journey for these young athletes.
Vishal Yadav is the Founder and Editor of Female In Sport. He founded Female Cricket in 2016, which has grown into one of the most followed platforms for women’s cricket worldwide. He has spent a decade covering, promoting, covering and building opportunities for sportswomen, from grassroots academies to the international stage. He writes about the people, records and stories shaping women’s sport.
