Indian swimmer Dhinidhi Desinghu won bronze in the women’s 100m freestyle at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, becoming the first Indian swimmer to secure a medal at the competition.
The 16-year-old from Bengaluru clocked 56.27 seconds in the final on November 2, setting a new national record. She improved on her previous mark of 56.57 seconds, recorded at the Senior National Championships in Ahmedabad in June.
Croatia’s Ana Bobanovic won gold in 55.89 seconds, while New Zealand’s Alyssa Lawson took silver in 56.13 seconds. Desinghu finished just 0.14 seconds behind Lawson.
The Indian swimmer had qualified for the final after recording 56.80 seconds in the heats, finishing among the three fastest competitors. She was also the first Indian female swimmer to reach a Youth Olympic Games final.
Desinghu was the youngest member of India’s contingent at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where she made her senior Olympic debut at the age of 14.
Her bronze medal marks a major milestone for Indian swimming. It is also the country’s first swimming medal at the Youth Olympics and its first medal in the sport at an Olympic event across the senior and youth editions.
Desinghu is scheduled to compete in the women’s 200m freestyle and 200m individual medley at Dakar, giving her further opportunities to build on the achievement.
