DAKAR, Nov 7: Assam swimmer Tirthank Pegu became the first Indian male swimmer to win a medal at the Youth Olympic Games, claiming bronze in the men's 200m butterfly at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Senegal.
The 17-year-old clocked 2:01.25 in the final to finish third. Egypt's Zain Ali won gold in 1:57.88, while Vietnam's Duong Van Hoang Quy took silver in 2:00.32.
Pegu entered the final as the fastest swimmer from the heats after topping the overall standings with a time of 2:05.30. He had earlier finished fourth in the men's 100m butterfly in 54.98 seconds, missing a medal by 0.27 seconds.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma congratulated Pegu and said his achievement was a matter of immense pride for the state and had brought honour to the country. Union Minister for Communications and Development of the North Eastern Region Jyotiraditya M Scindia also congratulated him.
Pegu, who hails from Ramakrishna in Jorhat district, took up swimming at the age of five and is a junior national record holder. He had won silver in the 200m butterfly at the 2025 Asian Youth Games in Bahrain.
Boxer Shiva Thapa was the first sportsperson from Assam to win a Youth Olympic Games medal, claiming silver at the inaugural edition in Singapore in 2010.
