New Delhi, Nov 2 (IANS) There was a time when Dhinidhi Desinghu was so frightened of water that she ran back home in her swimsuit rather than enter a swimming pool.
On Monday, the 16-year-old Bengaluru swimmer stood on the podium at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, having clinched a bronze medal in the women’s 100m freestyle.
Dhinidhi clocked a personal best of 56.27 seconds in the final to finish third behind Croatia’s Ana Bobanovic (55.89) and New Zealand’s Alyssa Lawson (56.13), becoming the first Indian female swimmer to reach a final at the Youth Olympics.
For the teenager, who had once actively disliked swimming, the achievement marked a remarkable transformation from a reluctant beginner to one of India’s most promising young swimmers.
“I know I was really scared. There’s a story from when I was six or seven… We went to the pool during summer break… I went to the pool and then ran back home in my swimsuit because I just hated being there,” Dhinidhi told Olympics.com after winning her medal.
Her parents had to enter the pool themselves to persuade her to get into the water. Swimming was initially introduced as a recreational activity, largely because the pool was close to home and convenient for her parents to take her for lessons.
Dhinidhi, who preferred spending time alone reading books rather than engaging in outdoor activities, gradually developed an interest in the sport as she grew older.
“I’m not really sure how I fell in love with swimming, but as the years went by, I grew to love it,” she said.
Her competitive instincts eventually became a driving force, with swimming providing an outlet for her desire to challenge herself and win.
That determination took her to the Paris 2024 Olympics at just 14, where she was the youngest member of the Indian contingent.
For someone who had grown up watching the world’s leading swimmers on television, competing alongside them was an unforgettable experience.
“You see these swimmers on TV, and suddenly they’re standing next to you, competing in the same events, swimming in the same pool and even in the same lanes,” she recalled.
Among those who left her starstruck was French swimming sensation Leon Marchand. However, the experience extended beyond the pool, with life in the Olympic Village, interactions with athletes from different countries and exchanging pins among her cherished memories.
“There were so many things I experienced at 14 that I don’t think many athletes get to experience in their entire lives. People train for years, sometimes their whole lives, to become Olympians. To be able to say that I became one at 14 was, in a way, lucky. But at the same time, I worked really hard for it,” she said.
Two years after her Olympic debut, Dhinidhi arrived in Dakar with greater experience and confidence. She clocked 56.80 seconds in the 100m freestyle heats, the third-fastest time overall, to qualify for the final. It was also the first time she had gone below 57 seconds in a morning heat.
She improved her performance further in the final, lowering her personal best by 0.53 seconds to secure the bronze medal.
However, the teenager revealed that her primary focus had been on improving her timing rather than winning a medal.
“I wasn’t really thinking about a medal. It was mostly about improving my time,” she said.
Despite celebrating her podium finish, Dhinidhi’s competitive spirit meant she was already thinking about what could have been better.
“Every athlete comes here to win gold. A medal is a medal, but at the end of the day, everybody is competitive and everybody wants that gold medal,” she added.
Behind the achievement are years of demanding training schedules, early mornings and sacrifices. Asked whom she would dedicate the medal to, Dhinidhi came up with an answer that reflected both gratitude and self-belief.
“Probably my mom, my dad and myself.”
The swimmer explained that while athletes often acknowledge the people who support them, they sometimes forget to recognise their own efforts and perseverance.
“I feel like I thank a lot of people, but I sometimes forget to thank myself for going through all of this. It’s hard to get up in the morning, put in all that effort, go to the gym, work so hard and get into the pool every day,” she said.
Recalling the difficult training sessions, including days when she had to train alone, she added, “So I kind of want to thank myself as well for putting in all that work.”
For a girl who once ran away from a swimming pool, the bronze medal in Dakar represents much more than a podium finish.
Dhinidhi now hopes to use the Youth Olympic achievement as a stepping stone towards a bigger ambition: winning an Olympic medal in swimming, something India has yet to achieve.
“The people competing here (at the Youth Olympics) are going to be my competitors one day at future Olympics. Winning a medal here shows that maybe, if I keep this steady pace going, I could win a medal at the Olympics,” she said.
She also hopes her journey will inspire more girls to take up swimming and help the sport gain greater recognition in India.
“We’re not really a swimming nation, and it’s not common to see women do well in our sport. To see that I’ve inspired a lot of people, especially girls and even non-swimmers, means a lot,” she added.
–IANS
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