The making of Ambekar Meetei: A tea seller’s son who conquered the Youth Olympics

Ambekar Meetei made history at the Youth Olympics in Dakar, Senegal, after becoming India’s first boxing gold medalist at the sporting event. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

In the village of Lamlai Mayai Leikai in Manipur’s Imphal East district, Mandan Meetei runs a modest, tin-roofed eatery. Located just opposite the Lamlai police station, DK Snacks serves strong tea and pakoras throughout the day.

For the last couple of days, however, the shop has remained shuttered.

Tea is still being brewed in batches, but it is now being served at Mandan Meetei’s home in the same village.

“It’s not possible to run the shop right now. So many people are coming to our home. Everyone has to be welcomed,” Mandan tells Sportstar.

Everyone, he says, is dropping by to congratulate him on the performance of his son, Ambekar Meetei. On Thursday evening in Dakar, Senegal, the 17-year-old defeated Ireland’s Kristian Jubani by a 3-2 split decision in the final of the men’s 50kg category to become the first Indian boxer to win gold at the Youth Olympic Games.

If November 12 will be one of the most significant days in Ambekar’s career, so too will March 31, 2018.

“It is the day I started my journey in boxing,” Ambekar tells this publication from Dakar. “I remember this exact day because I had to fill out a form when I was taking admission to my first academy. At that time I was very young, but I thought if this is something where I have to sign a form, I have to be really serious about this,” he says.

Ambekar was barely 10 years old then. He had been named after the maker of the Indian Constitution, although a spelling error crept into his birth certificate. As a child, however, Ambekar was always prone to getting into scraps.

“He used to go and play football, but he seemed to like fighting more, so my brother decided to take him to a boxing academy in the next village of Nongada,” says Mandan.

Back then, the sport was simply a way to channel his energy. “I didn’t think I was going to be boxing for India one day,” Ambekar says.

Even so, he enjoyed the sport, despite having to make the five-kilometre journey to the neighbouring village. “I used to borrow my uncle’s cycle to go to the academy, but I got embarrassed to have to borrow a cycle every day, so eventually I just started walking all the way,” he says.

Those early days at the Nongada Boxing Academy were a far cry from the spotlight of Dakar. “They didn’t even have a boxing ring at my academy. We would practise on the floor. At the start I couldn’t even afford gloves, so I trained with a second-hand pair,” he recalls.

After training, he would head to his father’s tea stall and help with the cooking and cleaning. “In the family everyone helps out. I couldn’t say I’m now a boxer, so I won’t do this,” he says.

This routine continued for five years. Although Ambekar was beginning to make a name for himself in the sub-junior ranks in Manipur, his coach felt he needed to move to a better academy to become competitive at the national level. He took the now 14-year-old to the sports hostel at Khuman Lampak Main Stadium in Imphal, where he was admitted as a hosteller.

The move to the State capital gave him access to better facilities and sparring partners, while also opening the door to higher levels of competition. At the start of the year, Ambekar took part in trials to select India’s international youth boxing team.

Hard worker

He finished fourth. It was not the sort of performance that would have turned heads, but it gave Ambekar a foot in the door for national selection.

“He wasn’t the best youth boxer when he first came into the national camp,” admits Indian youth coach Vijay Sharma. Once there, however, Ambekar only got better.

“By the time we had a final selection trial, he was the best amongst all competitors. When I saw that kind of improvement, I knew I was looking at a real talent,” says Sharma.

Selected for the Boxing Futures World Cup in Thailand, Ambekar went on to win a silver medal. He followed that up with gold in the 50kg category at the Youth Nationals in Guwahati, further establishing himself as one of India’s best prospects.

The Youth Olympics, however, presented his biggest test yet.

Cheikh Ibrahima Fall Faye of Senegal, Abraham Kalenga of Namibia and Izzon Arevalo of Colombia were all beaten convincingly, setting up a title clash with Jubani, the 2025 European Under-17 champion and current European U-19 silver medallist.

In the final, Ambekar had to dig deep.

Jubani, a southpaw, made good use of his footwork and straight punches to keep the Indian at a distance. Ambekar, who prefers to press forward and fight at close quarters, initially struggled to impose his game as the Irishman took the opening round on all five judges’ scorecards.

Ambekar, however, refused to change his approach. He continued to press forward in the second round, gradually finding greater success. The crucial moment came midway through the round, when Ambekar landed a solid one-two combination that forced the referee to give the Irish boxer a standing eight count.

With the contest finely balanced, the third round proved decisive. Ambekar maintained the relentless pace he had set, while Jubani, who had spent much of the bout trying to keep the Indian at bay, began to show signs of fatigue. Ambekar’s aggression and pressure proved decisive. He took the final round 4-1 to seal a 3-2 split-decision victory.

It was precisely the kind of turnaround coach Sharma had backed Ambekar to produce.

“He is someone who doesn’t give up easily. His best quality is that he has a lot of belief in himself. It doesn’t matter who is in front of him or what has happened in an earlier round. In the final, he didn’t think about the fact that he had lost the first round against a European champion. He backs himself, and that allows him to box freely,” he says.

Sharma believes the result will only set Ambekar up for bigger things.

“He has one more year as a youth (U-18) boxer, but after that I believe he will be a real prospect once he enters the senior category. I’ve told him this also, that the Youth Olympics are a platform for him,” says Sharma, who earlier this year brought Ambekar from Imphal to the Army Sports Institute in Pune, where he trains now.

High expectations

As a boxer from Manipur, Ambekar will face considerable expectations. Although the State has long been one of the standard-bearers of Indian boxing, it has experienced a relatively barren patch in recent years. Sharma believes the emergence of boxers such as Ambekar and Commonwealth Games silver medallist Jadumani Singh, five years his senior, is proof that the State is not short of talent.

Ambekar, who now trains alongside Jadumani in Pune, does not want to limit himself to being simply the best boxer from Manipur.

“My role models were not just from Manipur, but always the best boxers in the world. When I started boxing, I used to watch videos of Mike Tyson. I want to make a name for myself like that. I will not be old enough for the 2028 Olympics, but I want to be ready for the 2030 Commonwealth Games and then the 2032 Olympics,” he says.

But there is time for that. For now, Ambekar is looking forward to returning home to Lamlai and enjoying a few days’ break before resuming training.

His father, Mandan, is already making preparations in the family kitchen. It is not tea that Ambekar is looking forward to. He has told his parents he cannot wait to eat eromba, the spicy mixture of vegetables, chillies and fish paste that is a staple of Manipuri households.

“It’s the one thing I miss the most,” he says.

Published on Nov 14, 2026

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