Dhinidhi Desinghu Makes History with Swimming Bronze as Khushbu Darjada Wins Judo Silver at Youth Olympics

India enjoyed a memorable campaign at the Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026, with athletes delivering landmark performances across swimming, judo, badminton, table tennis and wushu. 

Among the standout achievements were Dhinidhi Desinghu's historic bronze medal in the women's 100m freestyle and Khushbu Rajakbhai Darjada's silver in the women's 63kg judo competition. The two medals represented significant milestones for Indian sport. Dhinidhi became the first Indian swimmer to win a global swimming medal across any age group, while Khushbu became only the second individual judoka from India to secure a Youth Olympic Games medal.

Their performances were complemented by strong results from India's young athletes in other disciplines, with Tanvi Patri and Dev Ruparelia registering successive badminton victories, Syndrela Das qualifying for the pre-quarterfinals in table tennis and Lanchenbi Chanu securing a place in the wushu talou final.

Dhinidhi Desinghu delivered one of the defining performances of India's campaign by winning bronze in the women's 100m freestyle. The Indian national record holder clocked 56.27 seconds in the final, setting a new national record while securing India's first-ever medal in global swimming competition across any age group. The achievement also made her the first Indian female swimmer to qualify for a Youth Olympic Games final.

Her progress through the competition had already signalled a strong medal opportunity. Dhinidhi clocked 56.80 seconds in the heats, finishing third to qualify for the final. She then improved significantly in the medal race, bringing her time down to 56.27 seconds and securing a place on the podium.

The bronze medal was a landmark moment for Indian swimming, a sport in which the country has traditionally found it difficult to produce podium finishes at the global level. Dhinidhi's performance in Dakar demonstrated the potential of India's emerging generation of swimmers.

Khushbu Darjada wins silver after reaching historic final

Khushbu Rajakbhai Darjada produced an impressive run in the women's 63kg judo competition before finishing with the silver medal. The Indian judoka began her campaign with a 1-0 victory over Camara Mamaissata of Cameroon to advance to the quarter-finals. She then defeated Tunisia's Abir Bouazzaoui by ippon, securing her place in the semi-finals.

Her toughest test before the final came against Algeria's Dounia Berrahoual. Khushbu won that contest by ippon, recorded as 100-002, to become only the second Indian judoka to reach a Youth Olympic Games final.

The final brought her up against Germany's Jolina Reinhold, the Cadet World Champion. Reinhold prevailed by ippon through an Osaekomi-waza hold-down, leaving Khushbu with the silver medal. Despite the defeat in the final, the result was a major achievement for Indian judo. Khushbu became only the second individual judoka from India to win a Youth Olympic Games medal, adding another milestone to her progression after her Asian Cadet medal.

India's badminton players also produced encouraging performances in the group stage. Tanvi Patri secured another convincing victory, defeating Mexico's Sara Delgado 21-8, 21-12 in her second group-stage match. The Indian controlled the contest to register a straight-games win and maintain her momentum in the competition.

Dev Ruparelia similarly continued his winning run in the boys' competition. He defeated Czech Republic's Petr Briza 21-13, 21-16 to register his second victory in as many group-stage matches. Both players were building confidence through their performances, giving India further reason for optimism in badminton as the competition progressed.

Syndrela Das advances in table tennis, Lanchenbi Chanu reaches wushu final

Syndrela Das completed an unbeaten group-stage campaign in table tennis, defeating Uganda's Jemimah Nakawala 11-9, 11-6, 11-8 to register a 3-0 victory. The result ensured that Syndrela won all her group matches and topped her group to qualify for the pre-quarterfinals. Her next opponent was yet to be determined at the time of the result.

In wushu, Lanchenbi Chanu secured qualification for the final in the women's Changquan combined event. She finished second in the preliminary round with a combined score of 17.982. Chanu scored 8.876 in Gunshu in the earlier round before adding 9.106 in Changquan. Her second-place finish in the preliminary standings secured her place in the final.

India's performances in Dakar reflected the growing breadth of its young sporting talent. Dhinidhi's swimming medal and Khushbu's judo silver stood out for their historic significance, while the results in badminton, table tennis and wushu highlighted the country's competitiveness across multiple disciplines.

For Dhinidhi, the national record and historic podium finish mark an important breakthrough for Indian swimming. For Khushbu, reaching the judo final and winning silver establishes her among the country's most promising young judokas.

With Tanvi and Dev maintaining unbeaten starts, Syndrela progressing to the knockout stage and Lanchenbi qualifying for the wushu final, India's campaign featured achievements beyond its two medal-winning performances.

The results offer encouragement for the future of Indian sport, particularly as athletes from different disciplines continue to gain valuable international experience at the youth level.