Rajkumari Lanchenbi Chanu Scripts History, Wins India’s First-Ever Wushu Medal at Youth Olympics

Rajkumari Lanchenbi Chanu Creates History With Bronze, Becomes India’s First Youth Olympics Wushu Medallist

Indian wushu athlete Rajkumari Lanchenbi Chanu has achieved a historic milestone by winning bronze in the women’s Changquan combined event at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games on Tuesday. Her podium finish makes her the first Indian wushu player to secure a medal at the prestigious international sporting event.

Chanu accumulated 18.039 points across the Gunshu and Changquan routines to finish third overall. Egypt’s Sondos Sonbol secured the gold medal with 18.660 points, while Venezuela’s Valeria Frannerys Dudamel Alvarado claimed silver with 18.199 points.

Strong Comeback in Changquan Secures Podium Finish

The Indian athlete delivered a consistent performance across both disciplines. She scored 8.723 points in Gunshu, a weapon-based routine, placing fourth in the category. She then produced an impressive performance in Changquan, the bare-handed discipline, earning 9.316 points to finish second among the eight finalists.

Her combined score helped her secure the bronze medal, finishing ahead of Georgia’s Gvantsa Karchava, who collected 17.700 points.

Chanu had already demonstrated her medal potential during the qualification round, where she finished second with 17.982 points. Her scores included 8.876 in Gunshu and 9.106 in Changquan.

Before the final, the young Indian had expressed her determination to return home with the gold medal. Although she narrowly missed that target, her bronze-winning performance has established a new chapter in India’s wushu history.

A Landmark Moment for Indian Wushu

The achievement carries additional significance as wushu is making its debut at the Youth Olympic Games. Chanu’s medal has given India its first podium finish in the discipline at the competition.

The bronze has also strengthened India’s campaign at Dakar 2026, taking the country’s medal count to three.

Earlier, Khushbu Rajakbhai Darjada won silver in the women’s 63kg judo event, while swimmer Dhinidhi Desinghu secured bronze in the women’s 100m freestyle.

With her historic performance, Rajkumari Lanchenbi Chanu has not only added another medal to India’s tally but also brought international recognition to Indian wushu.