Rajkumari Chanu makes history with first Wushu bronze at the Youth Olympics

NEW DELHI: Indian wushu celebrated a watershed moment at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympics when Rajkumari Lanchenbi Chanu won a historic bronze medal in the Changquan women’s combined event, becoming the first Indian woman to win a wushu medal at the prestigious multi-sport event.Chanu secured third position in the final with a total score of 18.039 points, putting together impressive performances in both events. She scored 8.723 points in Gunshu before adding 9.316 points in Changquan to cement her place on the podium.The medal is a major breakthrough for Indian wushu, a sport in which the country is seeking to strengthen its presence on the international stage. Chan’s success not only brought recognition to her individual efforts but also offered a major boost to the growing ambitions of the sport in India.Her podium finish also brought India a three-way medal at the ongoing Games. The young wushu exponent followed up the medal performances of Khushba Rajakbhai Darjad, who won silver in the women’s 63kg judo category, and swimmer Dhinidhi Desinghu, who secured bronze in the women’s 100m freestyle. Both gave their performances on Monday.Chanu’s success is expected to provide a new impetus to the development of wushu among India’s young sporting generation. Her performance underscores the potential of budding Indian athletes to compete with the best at the international level.The historic podium finish is also a reward for the efforts of her coaches, support staff and the wider wushu fraternity who have contributed to her development.For Indian sports, Chanu’s bronze represents more than another addition to the medal tally. It represents a breakthrough in a discipline that is looking for more recognition and gives budding wushu athletes a new benchmark to aim for.