India had no medals in swimming at the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) before the 2026 edition. Now, they have three.
Dhinidhi Desinghu, India’s first swimmer to medal at the YOG, backed up her women’s 100m freestyle bronze earlier this week with another bronze in the 200m freestyle on Friday. Minutes later at the 2026 YOG in Dakar, Tirthank Pegu also won bronze in the men’s 200m butterfly.
Dhinidhi clocked 2:02.28 in her final, finishing behind Croatia’s silver medallist Ana Bobanovic (2:01.17) and China’s gold medallist Mohan Chang (1:59.59), who won the 200m butterfly silver at the Asian Games.
Tirthank finished third at 2:01.25, behind Vietnam’s Duong Van Hoang Quy (silver, 2:00.32) and Egypt’s Zain Ali (gold, 1:57.88).
The 16-year-old from Bengaluru and the 17-year-old from Assam combined to deliver a medal-laced multi-sport event for Indian swimming after a below-par Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.
“It’s a very good performance by both. More than anything, it’s a good thing for Indian swimming,” Nihar Ameen, India’s Dronacharya awardee swimming coach and Dhinidhi’s coach, told HT. “It gives some light at the end of the tunnel, after a dismal Asian Games for Indian swimming. The women were not cleared to participate in it. This is a good response to that, and a shot in the arm especially for the women.”
Dhinidhi, at 16, is among the top Indian women swimmers currently. An Olympian at 14 in Paris, she turned up as a Youth Olympian in Dakar with a bit of a point to prove. Her 100m bronze, with a timing of 56.27s, bettered her own national record. Her effort of 2:02.28 on Friday was a bit away from her 200m NR of 02:01.81. Ameen believes competing in the 200m individual medley a couple of days ago played a part in the under-par timing in her stronger event.
“She is not used to racing in that at all. They are allowed to compete in three events, so she competed in that. I think that cost her. She should have been better in the 200m,” he said.
Pegu, who missed the 100m butterfly medal in a fourth-place finish earlier this week, is shaping up to be among the most promising young swimmers in the country. The Assam teen, who had a short training stint in Europe this year, clocked 02:00.96 in the 200m butterfly at the Singapore National Age Group meet in March this year. His timing in Dakar also wasn’t his best, but the medal should do him a world of good.
“He’s one for the future. He has to be watched carefully,” said Ameen. “Both these young swimmers have to be taken care of, and taken care of well, going forward.”
