Dhinidhi Desinghu completes a historic double with a second bronze at the Youth Olympics

Dhinidhi Desinghu completed a historic double at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, becoming the first Indian athlete to win multiple medals in individual events at the competition. The 16-year-old swimmer added a second bronze after finishing third in the girls’ 200m freestyle final after a podium finish in the 100m freestyle.

Desinghu clocked 2:02.28 in the 200m final to finish behind China’s Zhang Mohan, who claimed gold in 1:59.59, and Croatia’s Ana Bobanovic, who took silver in 2:01.17. The Indian swimmer held on to third place in the closing stages to secure her second Dakar medal.

The 200m freestyle was always a bigger test for Desingha. After her first medal in the 100m freestyle, her coach Nihar Ameen, in an earlier interview with IndiaToday, emphasized that the shorter track was not her main event. It was the 200m freestyle he was looking forward to, hoping the confidence from her first-ever podium would carry over into the race.

For Desinghua, the bronze in the 100m was already a milestone. She became the first Indian swimmer to win a medal at the Youth Olympics, ending India’s wait for a swimming podium at the competition. The second bronze has now taken the feat further, becoming the first Indian woman to win medals in two individual events in a single edition of the Youth Olympics.

In the 200 m final, there was also a personal target on the line. Desinghu was hoping to better her personal best of 2:01.81 at the 12th Asian Age Group Championships in 2026, where she won gold in the 50m pool event. Her Dakar time of 2:02.28 missed that mark by 0.47 seconds.

While a personal best remained elusive, Desinghu leaves the Dakar with two medals and a place in Indian sporting history. Her double bronze gave Indian swimming a major moment on the Youth Olympic scene and underlined its potential in the pool.

(more to follow)

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