Swimming, unprecedentedly, has been the standout sport for India at the Dakar Youth Olympics 2026. For the first time, the nation has won medals in the sport, with 16-year-old Dhinidhi Desinghu winning bronzes in the women’s 100m and 200m freestyle events, and 17-year-old Tirthank Pegu winning bronze in the men’s 200m butterfly. Speaking to NDTV at a media roundtable, Pegu reflected on the historic feat, what it has meant to those back home in Assam, and why the rise of swimming is perhaps not so unprecedented.
“The feeling has not sunk in yet. And in Assam, my whole family is really happy that they believed in me a lot. The ministers are also really happy and they’re calling me back home so that I can meet them,” Pegu said.
While India have won Youth Olympics medals in swimming for the first time this year, Pegu explained why it isn’t a “sudden success”.
“I would say it’s not a sudden success. Like, if you have heard of Dhinidhi, she’s been the youngest Olympian in Paris. So she already was a good swimmer before this competition. And about me, I have been training for this competition for a year. The previous swimmers also created a pathway, like Sajan Prakash and Srihari Nataraj; He was one of the finalists in the 2018 Youth Olympics. So it’s not, I’d say, it’s not sudden, actually,” Pegu said.
One Clear Goal: LA 2028
While the 17-year-old is still basking in the glory of his bronze medal at the Youth Olympics, he has already set his sights on the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles – and he’s determined to settle for nothing less than the final.
“The goal is to qualify for the swimming finals in LA 2028. There is no minimum goal (that he’d be happy with). Because of that, I almost messed up my first event. I don’t want to think like that, I want to get to the finals in LA 2028,” he stated.
“My main goal is to qualify for the finals in the Olympics and become the first Indian swimmer to ever qualify for the finals. It’s the goal I have been wishing for from a very young age,” he added.
The Inspire Institute of Sports (IIS) athlete is also looking to broaden his range and participate in other events except butterfly.
“To improve in this particular event, we need to do the other events as well, because it’s like a cycle. I need to improve the other events so that I can improve in this one. So I’m going to take part in other events, such as the 100m, 50m, and I’m pretty good at the 400m individual medley too,” Pegu said.
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