India’s 17 Athletes Deliver 10 Medals at Dakar 2026 Youth Olympics, Headlined by Historic Boxing Double

India signed off from the 4th Summer Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, with a memorable performance, winning 10 medals from a contingent of just 17 athletes. 

The tally of two gold, three silver and five bronze medals reflected the growing depth of India's youth sporting programme, with athletes reaching the podium across seven disciplines. The campaign was headlined by a historic double in boxing, where Ambekar Meetei and Gunjan won the men's 50kg and women's 48kg titles respectively. Their victories gave India its first-ever Youth Olympic boxing gold medals and made November 12 a landmark day for the contingent.

India's 10-medal haul also included silver medals for badminton player Tanvi Patri, judoka Khushbu Darjada and beach wrestler Taniya. Swimming provided three bronze medals, with Dhinidhi Desinghu winning two and Tirthank Pegu claiming another. Rajkumari Lanchenbi Chanu added a bronze in wushu, while Shourya Ambure secured a podium finish in the 100m hurdles.

India's two gold medals came from the boxing ring, with both representatives in the discipline converting their campaigns into titles. Ambekar Meetei Lairenlakpam defeated Ireland's Kristian Jubani 3–2 in the men's 50kg final. After losing the opening round on all five judges' scorecards, the Indian boxer produced a strong comeback, forcing a standing eight count in the second round before dominating the closing stages. The split-decision victory made him India's first Youth Olympic boxing champion.

Gunjan followed with an equally significant achievement in the women's 48kg category. She defeated Great Britain's Lily Bassett 4–1 in the semi-final before overcoming Algeria's Bouthaina Bensalah 5–0 in the final. All five judges scored the championship bout 30–27 in her favour.

Gunjan became the first Indian woman to win a boxing medal at the Summer Youth Olympics and the country's first female Youth Olympic boxing champion. With both Indian boxers winning gold, the discipline delivered a perfect two-from-two conversion for the contingent.

Three silver medals across three disciplines

India's silver-medal campaign demonstrated its competitiveness beyond boxing. Tanvi Patri reached the badminton women's singles final after an impressive run through the competition. The reigning Asian U-17 champion defeated Japan's Watanabe in the semi-final before facing China's Zhang in the title match. Tanvi eventually finished with silver after a three-game final.

Khushbu Rajakbhai Darjada secured silver in the women's 63kg judo event. She progressed through the draw with a series of victories, including two ippon wins, to reach the final. Germany's Reinhold proved to be the final hurdle, leaving Khushbu with a runner-up finish and another important result for Indian judo.

In beach wrestling, Taniya claimed silver in the girls' 75kg category. She won all three of her group contests and defeated the United States' Matilda Ann Hruby 3–1 in the semi-final. Her campaign ended with a narrow 1–2 defeat against China's Zhao Min in the final. The result also marked India's first Youth Olympic beach wrestling medal.

Swimming was another major contributor to India's campaign, producing three bronze medals and two individual podium finishes for Dhinidhi Desinghu. 

Dhinidhi opened India's swimming medal account with bronze in the women's 100m freestyle, clocking 56.27 seconds. She returned to the podium in the women's 200m freestyle, finishing in 2:02.28 to secure her second bronze of the Games. Her double made her the first Indian swimmer to win a Youth Olympic medal and the first Indian athlete to secure two individual medals at a single edition of the Youth Olympics.

Tirthank Pegu added the third swimming bronze in the men's 200m butterfly. He clocked 2:01.25 in the final, becoming the first Indian male swimmer to win a Youth Olympic medal. His performance followed a fourth-place finish in the 100m butterfly, underlining his progress across the two events.

Breakthrough medals in wushu and athletics

India's remaining two bronze medals came from wushu and athletics.

Rajkumari Lanchenbi Chanu won bronze in the women's changquan combined event, scoring 18.039 points in the final. Her performance gave India its first-ever Youth Olympic medal in wushu, adding another discipline to the country's list of podium achievements.

Shourya Ambure secured bronze in the 100m hurdles, recording a personal best of 13.59 seconds in the final. Having clocked 13.77 seconds in the semi-final, she improved again when it mattered most, becoming the first Indian woman to win a Youth Olympic athletics medal.

India's final tally of 10 medals came from seven different sports: boxing, badminton, judo, beach wrestling, swimming, wushu and athletics. The results were particularly significant given the size of the contingent, with 17 athletes representing the country across 11 disciplines.

The two boxing golds provided the defining moments, but the wider medal distribution showed progress across several sporting pathways. Swimming produced India's first Youth Olympic medals in the discipline, while wushu and beach wrestling also delivered historic breakthroughs. Badminton and judo continued to demonstrate their strength in age-group competition.

With two gold, three silver and five bronze medals, Dakar 2026 will stand as a significant chapter in India's Youth Olympic history. A compact contingent returned with a double boxing triumph and podium finishes across seven sports, offering encouragement for the future of Indian sport.