Dhinidhi Desinghu, Tirthank Pegu Win Youth Olympics Bronze

Dhinidhi Desinghu and Tirthank Pegu won bronze medals in swimming at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, on Friday, adding two more podium finishes to India’s campaign. Desinghu finished third in the women’s 200m freestyle, while Pegu took third in the men’s 200m butterfly.

Desinghu clocked 2:02.28 in the women’s 200m freestyle final. Her second bronze of the Games made her the first Indian swimmer to win multiple medals at this edition of the Youth Olympic Games, following her earlier third-place finish in the women’s 100m freestyle.

Pegu followed minutes later with a time of 2:01.25 in the men’s 200m butterfly. His result made him the first Indian male swimmer to win a medal at these Games and capped his competition with a place on the podium.

Desinghu fights back for second Dakar bronze

Desinghu entered the 200m freestyle final after topping the heats and ranking as the best swimmer overall earlier in the day. In the final, however, she had a slow start before recovering over the last 100m to secure third place.

China’s Chang Mohan and Croatia’s Ana Bobanovic finished ahead of Desinghu, who nevertheless completed a productive meet with two bronze medals. Her 200m freestyle medal came after she had already earned bronze in the 100m freestyle earlier in the week.

The twin podium finishes underline the scale of Desinghu’s contribution to India’s swimming results in Dakar. She leaves the Games with two medals, both bronze, and the distinction of being the first Indian to collect multiple medals during this edition.

Pegu converts butterfly opportunity into a medal

Pegu’s bronze in the men’s 200m butterfly came after he had been fourth in the men’s 100m butterfly earlier in the competition. In the 200m race, he was in second position after 150m and remained in medal contention heading into the closing stages.

A late surge from Vietnam’s Van Hoang Quy Duong moved Pegu into third, but the Indian swimmer held on for bronze in 2:01.25. The finish delivered a landmark result, with Pegu becoming the first Indian male swimmer to medal at the Youth Olympic Games.

His final result also brought his tournament to a close on a stronger note after the fourth-place finish in the 100m butterfly. Together, Pegu and Desinghu accounted for India’s two swimming bronzes on the day.

India’s swimming campaign ends with landmark medals

The two bronze medals strengthened what was described as India’s best-ever swimming campaign at the Youth Olympic Games. Desinghu’s two-medal haul and Pegu’s breakthrough podium finish ensured that India’s swimmers featured prominently in the medal count in Dakar.

India’s overall tally at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games reached six medals. Along with Desinghu’s two swimming bronzes and Pegu’s butterfly bronze, India had silver medals from Tanvi Patri in badminton and Khushbu Darjada in judo, plus a bronze medal in wushu for Rajkumari.

For Desinghu, the 200m freestyle bronze added a second individual reward after her comeback in the final. For Pegu, the 200m butterfly result delivered a historic first for Indian men’s swimming at the Games. Their medals gave India two more reasons to mark a significant swimming showing in Dakar.