Dhinidhi and Tirthank created history for India at the Youth Olympics 2026 in Dakar

There is no stopping Dhinidhi Desinghu as the Indian created history by becoming the first athlete to win two medals at the Youth Olympics for India after clinching bronze in the women’s 200m freestyle swimming event at Dakar 2026.

The bronze was Dhinidhi Desinghu’s second podium finish at the Youth Olympics 2026 in Senegal, having also secured bronze in the women’s 100m freestyle final earlier this week to become the first Indian swimmer to win a medal at the Youth Olympic Games.

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National record holder Dhinidhi Desinghu clocked 2:02.28 to finish third in the final. The People’s Republic of China’s Chang Mohan (1:59.59) won gold and Croatia’s Ana Bobanović (2:01.17) took silver.

Earlier, Dhinidhi Desinghu had clocked 2:04.51 to top the overall heats standings and qualified for the women’s 200m final.

The bronze was Dhinidhi Desinghu’s second podium finish at the Youth Olympics 2026 in Senegal, having also secured bronze in the women’s 100m freestyle final earlier this week to become the first Indian swimmer to win a medal at the Youth Olympic Games. Pic: Youth Olympics 2026

Elsewhere, India’s Tirthank Pegu finished with a bronze in the men’s 200m butterfly event after clocking 2:01.25 in the final. The 18-year-old also created his own piece of history by becoming the first Indian male swimmer to win a medal at the Youth Olympics. He had qualified for the final after finishing first overall in the heats with a time of 2:05.30.

Egypt’s Zain Ali took gold in 1:57.88, while Vietnam’s Dương Văn Hoàng Quy secured silver with 2:00.32.

Tirthank Pegu had finished fourth in the men’s 100m butterfly event at Dakar 2026. He clocked 54.98 seconds – just 0.27 seconds off the bronze medal spot.

Sresht helps Team Asia win gold

Meanwhile, India’s Sresht Raju Mantena helped Team Asia win the gold medal in equestrian. However, the medal will not count towards India’s tally, as the Youth Olympics groups athletes from different countries into mixed-NOC teams, with podium finishes awarded to teams rather than individual nations.

In the individual competition, Sresht Raju Mantena finished seventh in the equestrian show jumping final after recording four penalties and a time of 38.60 in a 12-rider jump-off.

The two medals on Friday took India’s overall tally at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar to six – two silver and four bronze.