A strong finish in the final 50 metres carried Bengaluru swimmer Dhinidhi Desinghu to a landmark bronze in the girls’ 100m freestyle, giving India its first swimming medal at the Youth Olympic Games and its first podium finish at Dakar 2026.
Dhinidhi Desinghu made history at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, on Monday, winning bronze in the girls’ 100m freestyle with a personal best and national-record time of 56.27 seconds. The 16-year-old finished behind Croatia’s Ana Bobanovic, who won gold in 55.89 seconds, and New Zealand’s Alyssa Lawson, who took silver in 56.13 seconds.
The result marked India’s first-ever swimming medal at the Youth Olympics and opened the country’s medal tally at the Dakar Games. It also surpassed the previous best Indian swimming performance at the competition, a sixth-place finish by Srihari Nataraj in the boys’ 100m backstroke at Buenos Aires 2018.
Dhinidhi’s medal was built on a determined second-half effort. She clocked 27.31 seconds over the opening 50 metres and was fifth at the turn, before accelerating through the closing length to move into the medal positions. Her final time improved on her previous national record of 56.57 seconds.
The Bengaluru teenager had entered the final in strong form, clocking 56.80 seconds in the heats to qualify third-fastest overall. The performance also made her the first Indian female swimmer to reach a Youth Olympic Games final.
Dhinidhi was the youngest member of India’s contingent at the Paris 2024 Olympics, making her senior Olympic debut at just 14. Two years later, her achievement in Dakar represents a significant step forward in her international career and a milestone for Indian swimming.
Her bronze came a day after compatriot Tirthank Pegu narrowly missed the podium in the boys’ 100m butterfly. Pegu finished fourth, just 0.27 seconds away from a medal, before Dhinidhi converted India’s strong showing in the pool into a historic podium finish.
The result also gives Dhinidhi momentum for the remainder of her Dakar campaign. She is scheduled to compete in the women’s 200m individual medley and 200m freestyle, with the opportunity to build on a breakthrough performance that has already placed her among India’s most successful young swimmers at the Games.
Dhinidhi’s bronze is more than a first for India at the Youth Olympics. Her national-record swim, achieved after being fifth at the halfway point, underlines the importance of race execution and composure under pressure. As a former youngest member of India’s Paris Olympic contingent, she now returns from Dakar with a landmark result that could help raise the profile of swimming among young athletes in the country.
