Taniya Creates History With Silver Medal at Dakar Youth Olympics 2026

India's Taniya scripted history at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, becoming the country's first wrestler to win a beach wrestling medal at the global youth showpiece after securing silver in the women's 75kg category on Saturday.

The Indian youngster narrowly missed out on gold, losing 1-2 to China's Zhao Min in the final at Saly Beach West in Senegal. Despite the defeat, Taniya's achievement marked a significant milestone for Indian wrestling, with beach wrestling making its debut at the Summer Youth Olympic Games.

Taniya enjoyed an impressive campaign, winning all four of her bouts en route to the final. She began with a 3-1 victory over Germany's Mia Mauer before defeating Greece's Vasiliki Karavanou by the same scoreline in the group stage.

She continued her dominant run in the knockout rounds, beating Estonia's Merily Vaester 4-1 in the quarterfinals before overcoming the United States' Matilda Ann Hruby 3-1 in the semifinals.

However, China's Zhao Min proved to be a formidable opponent in the gold-medal bout, ending Taniya's unbeaten run and claiming the historic title.

The silver medal adds to Taniya's growing international credentials. She had previously won bronze in the women's 69kg freestyle category at the 2026 U17 World Wrestling Championships in Baku. Her podium finish also took India's medal tally at Dakar 2026 to seven, comprising three silver and four bronze medals.