Rajkumari Lanchenbi Chanu was on the verge of finishing fourth in the final but her performance in the later stages helped her finish third on the podium
Share Article
https://www.india.com/sports/others/who-is-rajkumari-lanchenbi-chanu-indias-first-ever-wushu-medallist-at-the-2026-youth-olympics-in-dakar-8542012/
Rajkumari Lanchenbi Chanu in action at the Youth Olympics 2026(Photo: X)
Just a day after Dhinidhi Desinghu’s historic swimming bronze medal, wushu player Rajkumari Lanchenbi Chanu has become the first Indian ever to clinch a podium finish in the sport at the on-going 2026 Youth Summer Olympics in the Senegalese capital of DakarRajkumari’s victory confirmed the Indian contingent’s third medal at the quadrennial competition.
This was team India’s first-ever Wushu medal at any level of the Olympics, be it at the youth or senior level and Manipur’s Rajkumari Lanchenbi Chanu’s will go down as the one to do soThe 15-year-old claimed a historic bronze medal in the women’s changquan combined event at the Dakar Expo Centre.
The young Manipuri was very close to finishing second on the podium but she eventually settled for a third place after Egypt and Venezuela took home the gold and silver respectivelyRajkumari Lanchenbi Chanu amassed a total of 18.039 points, 8.723 in gunshu and 9.316 in changquan.
Her Egyptian counterpart, Sondos Sonbol registered 18.660 with 9.330 points each in gunshu and changquan, whereas Venezuela’s Valeria Frannerys Dudamel Alvarado recorded 9.246 in gunshu and 8.953 in changquan to bag the silver with a total of 18.199 points.
Rajkumari had fell down the pecking order after the gunshu routine but she was able to crawl her way back after a very good performance in changquan.
Wushu as a sport is being featured at the Youth Olympics for the first time and India made its presence felt rightaway, thanks to Rajkumari Lanchenbi ChanuThe discipline has previously been included at the Summer Olympics twice in 1936 and 2008 but only as a demonstration event.
Wushu is divided into two separate disciplines – taolu and sandaRajkumari competed in the former event, which features judged performance routinesIn this discipline, athletes perform changquan and gunshu routines and the winner is determined after adding both the scores together.
The Indian representative qualified for the final after finishing second in the preliminary round with 17.982 points.
Rajkumari Lanchenbi Chanu’s background and past achievements
15-year-old wushu sensation Rajkumari Lanchenbi Chanu was born in Manipur a North-Eastern state of India known for its strong wushu cultureAs a matter of fact, the region gave the Indian contingent its only medal in the sport at the recently concluded Asian Games 2026 at Aichi and Nagoya.
Rajkumari first fell under the spotlight when she claimed a gold medal at the 2025 Sub Junior National Wushu Championships in Tamil NaduLater in the year, she also won a bronze at China’s Junior Championships.
And just one year after those successes, Rajkumari confirmed India’s third medal at the Summer youth Olympics.
