Gunjan put on a tactical clinic in Dakar on Wednesday. Countering with venom and slipping through Great Britain's defenses, the Indian light flyweight defeated Lily Bassett 4-1 to punch her ticket to the women's 48kg gold medal bout at the 2026 Summer Youth Olympics. She is now one win away from standing atop the podium in Senegal.
Had Bassett found her range early, things might have unraveled. But Gunjan never gave her the room. Four of the five ringside judges awarded the bout to the Indian fighter, logging scorecards of 30-27, 29-28, 29-28, and 30-27, while a lone judge favored the Briton 29-28. The split card barely reflected Gunjan's command inside the ring—she dictated distance, caught Bassett on the turn, and preserved India's shot at gold.
Gunjan's march to the Dakar final began with a first-round bye. When she finally stepped through the ropes in the quarterfinals, she dismantled Mexico's Atena Sofia Juarez Calero in a comprehensive 5-0 sweep. That clinical shutout assured India of its eighth overall medal at the Games.
Now, she gets the chance to turn that guaranteed silver into the ultimate prize. Standing between Gunjan and Youth Olympic glory is Algeria's Bouthaina Bensalah, who scraped through her own semifinal with a 3-2 split-decision victory over Italy's Michela Guglielmon.
Hours before Gunjan booked her place in the title clash, Lairenlakpam Ambekar Meetei authored an equally dominant display to become the first Indian boxer to reach a final at the Dakar Games.
Fighting out of the red corner in the men's 50kg semifinal, Meetei tore through Colombia's Izzon Jeffrey Galea Arevalo. It was one-way traffic. Meetei walked down Arevalo, beating the Colombian to the punch across three rounds and sweeping all five scorecards. The judges scored the clash 28-27, 28-27, 28-27, 29-26, and 28-27 in a unanimous 5-0 verdict.
| Boxer | Weight Class | Semifinal Opponent | Result / Score | Final Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gunjan (IND) | Women's 48kg | Lily Bassett (GBR) | Won 4-1 (30-27, 29-28, 28-29, 29-28, 30-27) | Bouthaina Bensalah (ALG) |
| L. A. Meetei (IND) | Men's 50kg | Izzon Arevalo (COL) | Won 5-0 (28-27, 28-27, 28-27, 29-26, 28-27) | Kristian Jubani (IRL) |
MEETEI will trade leather with Ireland's Kristian Jubani in the 50kg final after the Irishman dispatched Mexico's Alan Jesus Ocampo Cano with a 5-0 sweep of his own. Both Indian pugilists now step into the championship ring with gold in their sights.