Historic Achievement! Rajkumari Lanchenbi Chanu Becomes First Indian to Win Wushu Medal at Youth Olympics

Historic Bronze for India! Rajkumari Lanchenbi Chanu Becomes First Wushu Medallist at Youth Olympics

Rajkumari Lanchenbi Chanu has created history by winning India’s first-ever wushu medal at the Youth Olympic Games. The young Indian athlete secured bronze in the women’s Changquan combined event at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympics on Tuesday, delivering a landmark achievement for Indian sport.

Chanu finished third in the competition with an overall score of 18.039 points from the Gunshu and Changquan routines. Egypt’s Sondos Sonbol topped the standings with 18.660 points to win gold, while Venezuela’s Valeria Frannerys Dudamel Alvarado secured silver with 18.199 points.

Impressive Performance Across Two Disciplines
The Indian athlete began with 8.723 points in Gunshu, a routine involving weapons, which placed her fourth in the event. She made an impressive comeback in Changquan, the unarmed routine, scoring 9.316 points to finish second in that discipline.

Her combined performance proved sufficient to secure the bronze medal, keeping her ahead of Georgia’s Gvantsa Karchava, who finished fourth with 17.700 points.

Chanu had entered the final with strong credentials after securing second place in the preliminary round with 17.982 points. She recorded 8.876 points in Gunshu and 9.106 in Changquan during qualification.

The Indian youngster had set her sights on the gold medal before the final, confidently expressing her desire to return home with the top prize. Although she finished with bronze, her achievement represents a major breakthrough for the country.

India’s Wushu Journey Gets a Historic Boost
The medal is especially noteworthy because wushu is featuring at the Youth Olympic Games for the first time. Chanu has made the most of the opportunity by becoming India’s maiden medallist in the discipline at the prestigious competition.

Her success has also taken India’s medal tally at Dakar 2026 to three. Khushbu Rajakbhai Darjada previously won silver in the women’s 63kg judo category, while swimmer Dhinidhi Desinghu earned bronze in the women’s 100m freestyle event.

Chanu’s historic podium finish marks an important step forward for Indian wushu and offers fresh inspiration to young athletes aspiring to represent the country on the international stage.