Dhinidhi Desinghu makes history with India’s first-ever swimming medal at the Youth Olympics

Dhinidhi Desinghu (file photo) BENGALURU: Indian swimming has a new milestone to celebrate and Bengali talent Dhinidhi Desinghu is at the center of it. The 16-year-old became the first female swimmer from the country to win a medal at the Youth Olympics, claiming bronze in the 100m freestyle in Senegal’s Dakar on Monday.While Dhinidhi was aiming for gold and a sub-55 second finish, her podium finish was a historic achievement for Indian swimming. Croatia’s Ana Bobanovic took gold in 55.89 seconds, while New Zealand’s Alyssa Lawson took silver in 56.13 seconds.The performance gained strength from the heats. Dhinidhi clocked 56.80 seconds to finish third fastest overall and became the first Indian swimmer to qualify for the Youth Olympic Games final. She carried this form to the final.“I am very happy but I am also at a loss for words. In the heats my time went below 57. I have never had a time below 57 and I knew something special was going to happen,” she told TOI.There was a mix of nerves and confidence going into the final. Even the conditions played in her favor. “In general, when I swim outside and it’s hot and humid, I swim better because the conditions are similar to at home,” she said.However, the result was not quite what she had hoped for at first. “When I touched the mat and saw the timing, I wasn’t very happy. I wanted to win the gold and I wanted to break 55 with my time, but I didn’t achieve that either. But it slowly sunk in – I’m the first Indian swimmer to win a medal at the Youth Olympics and that means something special,” added the teenager, who trains under Nihar Ameen.The significance of the win went beyond the medal itself. Dhinidi believes her podium finish is a breakthrough for women’s swimming in the country.“I think it is more special that it is a woman who has given India its first medal in swimming at the competition. It will mean a lot for women’s swimming because we are not at par with men. This will make this a memorable chapter for women’s swimming in our country and help in the growth of our sport,” she said.She is the third Indian woman to reach the finals of the competition, after two-time Olympian Srihari Nataraj, who reached the finals in 2018, and Tirthank Pegu, who is competing in the ongoing edition.But milestones are nothing new for her. Dhinidhi was just 14 when she made her debut at the 2024 Paris Olympics, becoming the youngest member of the Indian contingent. She also represented India at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou and the 2024 World Aquatics Championship in Doha.For now, the triumph is still sinking in.“The medal will take some time to sink in. It took a few years after Paris for me to sink in being an Olympian. So it’s safe to say it will take a long time to sink in,” she signed off.