India’s Dhinidhi Desinghu and Tirthank Pegu both won bronze medals on Friday at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Dakar, Senegal, giving Indian swimming a memorable double-podium finish.
Dhinidhi, who had already won bronze in the women’s 100m freestyle earlier in the week, added another medal in the women’s 200m freestyle. Minutes later, Pegu secured bronze in the men’s 200m butterfly.
Dhinidhi clocked 2:02.28 in the women’s 200m freestyle final, finishing behind Croatia’s Ana Bobanovicwho took silver in 2:01.17, and China’s Chang Mohanwho won gold in 1:59.59.
Chang had previously won silver in the 200m butterfly at the Asian Games.
In the men’s 200m butterfly, Pegu touched the wall in 2:01.25 to claim bronze. Vietnam’s Duong Van Hoang Quy won silver in 2:00.32, while Egypt’s Zain Ali secured gold in 1:57.88.
The two medals represent an encouraging result for Indian swimming following disappointing performances at recent Commonwealth Games and Asian Games competitions.
Dhinidhi, 16, from Bengaluru, and 17-year-old Pegu from Assam have emerged as two of India’s most promising young swimming talents.
Speaking to Hindustan TimesIndia’s Dronacharya Award-winning coach Nihar Ameen, who coaches Dhinidhi, described the performances as an important boost for the sport.
“It’s a very good performance by both. More than anything, it’s a good thing for Indian swimming,” Ameen told Hindustan Times.
He added that the results offered renewed hope after a disappointing Asian Games campaign for Indian swimming, particularly highlighting the significance of the achievement for women’s swimming.
Dhinidhi Adds Second Youth Olympic Medal
Dhinidhi, who made her Olympic debut at just 14 years old at the Paris 2024 Olympics, arrived in Dakar with a strong international résumé and an opportunity to further establish herself on the global stage.
Her bronze medal in the women’s 100m freestyle earlier in the week came with a time of 56.27 seconds, improving her own Indian national record.
She followed that performance with another bronze in the 200m freestyle. However, her time of 2:02.28 was outside her national record of 2:01.81.
Ameen suggested that her participation in the women’s 200m individual medley earlier in the competition may have affected her performance in the 200m freestyle.
“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,” Ameen said.
Despite missing her national record, the second bronze further underlined Dhinidhi’s growing importance to Indian swimming.
Tirthank Pegu Delivers a Breakthrough Performance
For Tirthank Pegu, the men’s 200m butterfly bronze was a particularly encouraging result.
The Assam-based teenager had narrowly missed the podium in the men’s 100m butterfly earlier in the week, finishing fourth.
Pegu had already demonstrated his potential at the Singapore National Age Group Championships in March, where he clocked 2:00.96 in the 200m butterfly.
Although his Dakar performance of 2:01.25 was slower than that personal benchmark, winning a Youth Olympic medal represents an important milestone in his development.
Ameen also highlighted Pegu’s potential, describing him as a swimmer to watch in the coming years.
“He’s one for the future. He has to be watched carefully,” Ameen said.
He also stressed the importance of providing both swimmers with the right support and development opportunities.
“Both these young swimmers have to be taken care of, and taken care of well, going forward.”
Source: swimswam.com
