Rajkumari Lanchenbi Chanu Wins Historic Bronze at Dakar Youth Games

Historic Achievement in Wushu

Rajkumari Lanchenbi Chanu clinched a historic bronze medal in the women’s changquan combined wushu event at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, on Tuesday. Rajkumari secured a combined score of 18.039, scoring 8.723 in gunshu and 9.316 in changquan to finish third on the podium and secure India’s first-ever wushu medal, according to Olympics.com.

Egypt’s Sondos Sonbol claimed the gold medal with a combined score of 18.660, registering 9.330 each in gunshu and changquan. Meanwhile, Venezuela’s Valeria Frannerys Dudamel Alvarado secured the silver medal with a combined score of 18.199, registering 9.246 in gunshu and 8.953 in changquan. Rajkumari, who was placed fourth after the gunshu routine, moved up to third place following her changquan performance to clinch the bronze medal.

India’s Wushu Legacy

With the bronze medal, Rajkumari became India’s first wushu medallist at the Youth Olympic Games, where the sport is making its debut as a medal event at Dakar 2026. Before her campaign in Dakar, Rajkumari had secured bronze in the girls’ youth changquan event at the 2026 World Junior Wushu Championships in Tianjin, China.

Hailing from Manipur, a state known for its strong wushu tradition, Rajkumari joins the state’s growing list of athletes making their mark in the sport. India’s only wushu medallist at the 2026 Asian Games, Naorem Roshibina Devi, also belongs to Manipur.

Overall Medal Tally

Rajkumari’s bronze was India’s third medal at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, taking the country’s overall tally to one silver and two bronze medals. Earlier, Khushbu Rajakbhai Darjada clinched silver in the women’s judo 63kg category, while Dhinidhi Desinghu became the first Indian swimmer to win a Youth Olympic medal after securing bronze in the women’s 100m freestyle.

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