Sixteen-year-old Dhinidhi Desinghu won bronze in the girls' 200m freestyle at the Dakar Youth Olympic Games on Friday, completing a historic double and becoming the first Indian athlete to win multiple medals in individual events at the Youth Olympics.
Desinghu clocked 2:02.28 in the 200m final, finishing behind China's M Chang, who took gold in 1:59.59, and Croatia's Ana Bobanović, who claimed silver in 2:01.17. The bronze came days after her first medal of the Games — bronze in the 100m freestyle in 56.27 seconds, a new best mark for Indian women.
The double capped a breakthrough week for Indian swimming. Until Dakar, India had never won an aquatics medal at the Youth Olympic Games, which began in 2010 and are being held in Africa for the first time. Desinghu's two bronzes, together with a third swimming medal for Tirthank Pegu, gave India three of its six medals at the Games in the pool.
A double built on her stronger event
The 200m freestyle was always the race Desinghu was expected to target. It is her primary event, and she arrived in Dakar as one of the favourites for a podium finish. She topped the heats in 2:04.51 before improving by more than two seconds in the final, holding on to third place in the closing stages as Chang and Bobanović pulled clear.
The 100m bronze had come first, on Monday, and it was a milestone in its own right. Desinghu became the first Indian swimmer ever to win a medal at the Youth Olympic Games, finishing in 56.27 seconds — a national record for Indian women. Bobanović won that final in 55.89 seconds, with New Zealand's Alyssa Lawson taking silver in 56.13.
Desinghu, who was India's youngest athlete at the Paris 2024 Olympics, credited the people around her for the double. "Behind this moment are years of early mornings, intense training and sacrifices," she said. "The love and encouragement I've received from across India has been overwhelming."
"These medals are a special milestone, but I have much bigger dreams — I want to keep improving, win more medals for India and inspire more young people to take up swimming."
Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya was among those to congratulate her on X. She is the second Indian athlete to win two medals in a single edition of the Games, according to Asianet News — and the first to do so in individual events, per PTI — a measure of how rare the feat is for a country still building its swimming programme.
Pegu adds a first for Indian men
Later on Friday, Tirthank Pegu won bronze in the men's 200m butterfly, becoming the first Indian male swimmer to win a medal at the Youth Olympic Games. Pegu had finished third in his heat to reach the final, and his medal took India's tally at the Games to six — two silver and four bronze, with three of them won in the pool.
India's swimming medals at Dakar are the first the country has won in aquatics at any edition of the Youth Olympics. The Games, which began in Singapore in 2010, are now in their fourth edition, and Dakar 2026 is the first to be staged in Africa.
Why it matters: India has long been a marginal force in Olympic swimming, with no Indian swimmer ever reaching an Olympic final. A 16-year-old winning two medals at the sport's biggest youth event — including a national record — is the clearest sign yet that the country's swimming programme is producing athletes who can compete at world level while still teenagers.
The finals in numbers
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze — Desinghu |
|---|---|---|---|
| Girls' 100m freestyle | Ana Bobanović (Croatia) — 55.89 | Alyssa Lawson (New Zealand) — 56.13 | 56.27 — Indian national record |
| Girls' 200m freestyle | M Chang (China) — 1:59.59 | Ana Bobanović (Croatia) — 2:01.17 | 2:02.28 |
What comes next
Desinghu's double is a marker, not a finish line. At 16, she has two more years of junior competition ahead of her, and the obvious next step is the senior stage: world championships, the Asian Games, and a second Olympic appearance at Los Angeles 2028, where she would arrive as a genuine medal contender rather than a teenage debutant.
For Indian swimming, the question is whether Dakar becomes a turning point or a one-off. The sport has produced occasional world-class individuals before without building the depth behind them. Three swimming medals at a single Youth Olympics — and a first-ever aquatics podium — suggest the pipeline is widening, but sustaining it will depend on coaching, competition exposure, and funding for the next generation coming through behind Desinghu and Pegu.
For now, the achievement stands on its own: two bronzes, one national record, and the first multi-medal individual haul by an Indian athlete in Youth Olympic history.
Frequently asked questions
What did Dhinidhi Desinghu win at the Dakar Youth Olympics?
Two bronze medals: the girls' 100m freestyle in a national-record 56.27 seconds, and the girls' 200m freestyle in 2:02.28.
Why is the double historic?
Desinghu is the first Indian athlete to win multiple medals in individual events at the Youth Olympic Games, and her 100m bronze was India's first-ever aquatics medal at the Games.
Who else won a swimming medal for India at Dakar?
Tirthank Pegu won bronze in the men's 200m butterfly, becoming the first Indian male swimmer to medal at the Youth Olympic Games.
How many medals has India won at Dakar 2026?
Six in total — two silver and four bronze — with three of them coming from swimming.
What is the Youth Olympic Games?
A global multi-sport event for athletes aged 15 to 18, first held in Singapore in 2010. Dakar 2026 is the fourth edition and the first staged in Africa.
Key takeaways
- Dhinidhi Desinghu, 16, won bronze in the 200m freestyle (2:02.28) to complete a double at the Dakar Youth Olympics.
- She is the first Indian athlete to win multiple individual-event medals at the Youth Olympics; her 100m bronze (56.27) was a national record and India's first aquatics medal at the Games.
- Tirthank Pegu added bronze in the men's 200m butterfly, a first for an Indian male swimmer at the Youth Olympics.
- India's tally at Dakar stands at six medals, three of them from swimming.
- Desinghu, India's youngest athlete at Paris 2024, now looks towards the senior stage and Los Angeles 2028.
