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Youth Olympics 2026: Gunjan secures another medal for India at Dakar Games

Gunjan advances to the women's 48 kg boxing semifinals at Dakar 2026, guaranteeing India another medal.

By , Sports writer

· 1 min read

Youth Olympics 2026
Youth Olympics 2026 (file photo) Photo: Bearas / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Gunjan beat Mexico's Atena Sofia Juarez Calero 5-0 on Tuesday to reach the women's 48 kg semifinals at the Dakar Youth Olympics 2026, assuring India another medal. India is set to enter double digits in its medal tally at the Games.

Key takeaways

  • Gunjan beat Mexico's Atena Sofia Juarez Calero 5-0 in the women's 48 kg quarterfinal at Dakar 2026
  • Gunjan advanced to the semifinals and guaranteed India another medal
  • Lairenlakpam Ambekar Meetei also secured at least a bronze medal in the men's 50kg category
  • India's medal count reached eight, including three silver and five bronze
  • India's best Youth Olympics campaign was 13 medals at Buenos Aires 2018

Pugilist Gunjan confirmed India’s medal in the women’s 48 kg category at the Dakar Youth Olympics 2026 by advancing to the semifinals on Tuesday.

Gunjan beat Mexico’s Atena Sofia Juarez Calero 5-0 to secure her place in the last four and assure India another medal at the Games.

Fellow pugilist Lairenlakpam Ambekar Meetei also secured at least a bronze medal after his men’s 50 kg quarterfinal against Namibia’s Abraham Kalenga was stopped in the first round at 1:57 by a Referee Stops Contest decision, ensuring India’s first boxing medal at the event.

With both boxers guaranteed podium finishes, India is set to enter double digits in its medal tally at Dakar 2026.

India’s medal tally at Dakar 2026

India’s medal count at the Youth Olympics stood at eight, including three silver medals and five bronze medals. 59 seconds in a nine-woman field at Complexe Iba Mar Diop, and became the first Indian woman to win a Youth Olympics athletics medal.

It was India’s fifth podium finish in athletics in its Youth Olympics history.

Background and what happens next

India’s best Youth Olympics campaign was in the 2018 edition in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where it bagged 13 medals, including three gold, nine silver and a bronze.

The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympics is the fourth edition of the Summer Youth Olympics and the first IOC event to be held in Africa. It is scheduled to run for 14 days from 31 October to 13 November 2026 across Dakar, Diamniadio, and Saly.

The Youth Olympic Games are an international multi-sport event for athletes aged 15 to 18 years old, organised by the International Olympic Committee and held every four years. Gunjan will next compete in the women’s 48 kg semifinals at Dakar 2026.

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