Shourya Ambure wins India's first track and field medal at Dakar Youth Olympics

NewsSports NewsMore sports NewsShourya Ambure wins historic bronze, India's first track and field medal at Dakar Youth Olympics Shourya Ambure wins historic bronze, India's first track and field medal at Dakar Youth Olympics Edited by Hijam Raju Singh / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Nov 09, 2026, 08:37 IST 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. Watch Asian Games gold medallist Sujeet Kalkal on father’s influence and how he turned final around 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. 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.

Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app. Hijam Raju Singh is an Assistant News Editor with The Times of India Digital, with more than 20 years of journalism experience, including over 18 years in sports journalism.

A graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, he has been associated with The Times of India’s Digital Sports Desk for more than 18 years. He specialises in analytical, statistical and data-driven sports coverage, with a particular interest in cricket, football, tennis and Olympic sports.

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