NEW DELHI: India’s Shourya Ambure produced a memorable performance at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, winning a historic bronze medal in the women’s 100m hurdles to deliver the country’s first track and field medal at the ongoing edition on Sunday.The 17-year-old from Maharashtra clocked a personal best of 13.59 seconds to finish third in the final, narrowly missing out on the silver medal by just 0.02 seconds. China’s Zhang Keyi clinched gold with a timing of 13.17 seconds, while France’s Anna Peeters took silver in 13.57 seconds.Ambure’s achievement was particularly significant as she was India’s only track and field athlete competing at the Games. She also bettered her personal best twice on the same day, underlining her consistency and ability to deliver on the big occasion.
Two personal bests in a day
Ambure had already set the tone in the semi-finals, clocking 13.77 seconds to qualify for the medal race. She then raised her performance in the final, shaving 0.18 seconds off that mark to secure a place on the podium.The Maharashtra sprinter’s bronze adds another significant chapter to her growing career. In the space of just 18 months, she has won medals at the Asian U18 Championships, Asian Youth Games and Youth Olympic Games, establishing herself as one of India’s promising young hurdlers.Her performance also provided a significant boost to India’s athletics campaign in Dakar, with the youngster making the most of her opportunity as the country’s sole representative in track and field.
India’s medal tally reaches eight
Ambure’s bronze was India’s eighth medal at the Dakar Youth Olympics, taking the country’s tally to three silver and five bronze medals.Earlier, wrestler Taniya had secured India’s first-ever beach wrestling medal at the Games, winning silver in the women’s 75kg category. She lost 1-2 to China’s Min Zhao, the 2025 U17 world champion in the 69kg category, in the gold medal bout. Taniya had defeated USA’s Matilda Hruby 3-1 in the semi-finals.Other silver medallists for India include Khushbu Rajakbhai Darjada in women’s 63kg judo and Tanvi Patri in badminton.Swimming also contributed three medals, with Dhinidhi Desinghu winning bronze in the women’s 100m and 200m freestyle events, while Tirthank Pegu claimed bronze in the men’s 200m butterfly. Desinghu became the first Indian to win multiple medals at a single Youth Olympics edition, while Pegu secured India’s first-ever male swimming medal at the Games.Rajkumari Lanchenbi Chanu added another bronze in the women’s changquan combined wushu event.
