CHENNAI: Monumental. Pathbreaking. Golden.
Manipur has been a hotbed of boxing talent in the country over the years. Lairenlakpam Ambekar Meetei, a teenager from the state, left a giant impression on Thursday, highlighting his rich potential in the process. Ambekar did what no Indian had ever done before. The 17-year-old became the first-ever pugilist from the country to capture a gold medal in the Youth Olympic Games. The youngster edged Ireland's Kristian Jubani by split verdict (3-2) in the men's 50kg final in Dakar, Senegal. Having begun his campaign on November 8, Ambekar accounted for four victories in total.
Shiva Thapa's silver medal (54kg) in the 2010 edition of the Games was the country's previous best show. Vikas Krishan Yadav (60kg) is also one of the prominent boxers who has a bronze medal to his name. Both had gone on to excel at the senior level and represent the country in multiple Olympics. That does not automatically guarantee a similar path for Ambekar but this unprecedented feat shows that he has some firepower in him to make a name for himself in the future.
A product of National Sports Academy (NSA) in Manipur, Ambekar had captured a bronze medal in the Asian U19 Championships in Jakarta (Indonesia) last year and had won the best boxer award after a golden show at the youth nationals in Guwahati earlier this year. Thokchom Jiten Singh, who has overseen his development at the NSA in recent years, is naturally stoked with his ward's latest exploits. "He's hardworking. Whatever he says, he follows and he likes to take initiative and work on his own as well. Even during holidays, he loves to train," Jiten, who's brother of former champion boxer Nanao Singh, told this daily.
Jiten felt Ambekar's fearless nature is one of his biggest strengths. "Big or small, he is fearless. He likes to be on the frontfoot. Even if he gets hit, he responds with four, five punches."
The coach revealed that Ambekar comes from a household with limited financial resources. Hailing from Lamlai, around 15 kilometres away from Imphal, his father is a street vendor while his mother is an agricultural worker. "He comes from a poor background. It's very tough for him to go for competitions etc due to financial constraints."
Hours later, Gunjan (women's 48kg) followed Ambekar's footsteps to capture the yellow metal.