Ambekar, Gunjan script history with boxing gold medals at Youth Olympics

L. Ambekar Meetei and Gunjan scripted history by winning India's first couple of boxing gold medals at the Youth Olympic Games, defeating Ireland's Kristian Jubani and Algeria's Bouthaina Bensalah in their respective men's 50kg and women's 48kg finals here on Thursday.

First, Ambekar beat Jubani 3-2 to claim the top prize and create history. Soon after, Gunjan added to India's best-ever tally with a convincing 5-0 win over Bensalah, becoming the country's first-ever woman to claim a boxing gold at the Games.

Earlier, Ambekar's triumph marked a landmark moment for Indian boxing at the Youth Olympics, with Shiva Thapa's (60kg) silver medal at the 2010 Games being the country's previous best performance in the sport.

However, Gunjan soon joined Ambekar in the rare club following her victory. All five judges scored the bout in Gunjan's favour. Vikas Krishan has a bronze to his name at the Youth Olympics Games, winning the medal in the 2010 edition in Singapore.

Ambekar, who trains at the National Institute of Sports (NIS) in Patiala, enjoyed a dominant run to the final, stopping Namibia's Abraham Kalenga in the first round of their quarterfinal bout before registering a comprehensive 5-0 victory over Colombia's Izzon Jeffrey Galea Arevalo in the semifinals.

Ambekar, from Manipur, then held his nerve in a closely contested final to prevail by a 3-2 split decision and secure the historic gold. In her quarterfinal bout, Gunjan defeated Mexico's Atena Sofia Juarez Calero by a 5-0 unanimous decision to guarantee India a medal.

In the semifinal, Haryana's Gunjan beat Great Britain's Lily Bassett 4-1 in a hard-fought bout. This is India's best performance at the Youth Olympics. PTI AH PDS AH KHS