Rajkumari Lanchenbi Chanu Wins Wushu Bronze as India Add Another Youth Olympics Medal

Key points

1. Rajkumari Lanchenbi Chanu won bronze in the women's changquan combined wushu event at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games on November 3.
2. Lanchenbi Chanu finished third in the final behind Egypt's Sondos Sonbol and Venezuela's Valeria Dudamel Alvarado.
3. She qualified for the final in second place with a combined preliminary score of 17.982 points.
4. The women's changquan combined event featured two disciplines, gunshu and changquan, with preliminary rounds on November 1 and 2 and finals on November 3.
5. Lanchenbi Chanu is from Manipur and was part of India's 17-member contingent at Dakar 2026.
6. Wushu made its Youth Olympic Games medal-sport debut at Dakar 2026.

India's Rajkumari Lanchenbi Chanu won bronze in the women's changquan combined wushu event at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games on November 3, adding another medal to the country's campaign in Senegal. The Manipuri athlete finished third in the final behind Egypt's Sondos Sonbol and Venezuela's Valeria Dudamel Alvarado.

Lanchenbi Chanu had entered the medal round as one of the leading contenders after finishing second in the preliminary stage with 17.982 points. Her podium finish came as wushu made its debut as a medal sport at the Youth Olympic Games, giving the Indian athlete a place in the first chapter of the competition's Olympic history.

Lanchenbi Chanu secures bronze in the final

The women's changquan combined event brought together two taolu disciplines, gunshu and changquan. Athletes performed in the preliminary rounds across November 1 and 2, with the top eight advancing to the final on November 3 at the Dakar Expo Center.

Lanchenbi Chanu entered the final in second place after scoring 17.982 points across her preliminary routines. Egypt's Sondos Sonbol topped the qualification standings with 18.386, while Venezuela's Valeria Dudamel Alvarado was third on 17.576. The Indian remained in medal contention through the final stage and secured the bronze position.

Sonbol took the gold medal, with Dudamel Alvarado earning silver. Lanchenbi Chanu's third-place finish gave India a podium result in a discipline making its first appearance as a medal event at the Youth Olympic Games.

A rising wushu talent from Manipur

Lanchenbi Chanu comes from Manipur, a state in northeast India that has produced several prominent wushu athletes. She was included in India's 17-member contingent for Dakar and competed in the women's changquan combined event.

Her Youth Olympics medal adds to a promising record in junior competition. In March 2026, she won bronze in girls' youth changquan at the 10th World Junior Wushu Championships in Tianjin, China. She also claimed gold in girls' taolu at the 25th Sub-Junior National Wushu Championship in Namakkal, Tamil Nadu.

Those results provided a strong foundation ahead of the Dakar competition. Her qualification in second place showed that she was among the leading athletes in the event, and she converted that form into a Youth Olympic bronze in the final.

Wushu makes its Youth Olympic medal debut

Dakar 2026 marked the first time wushu was included as an official medal sport at the Youth Olympic Games. The programme featured four events: boys' and girls' changquan combined, and boys' and girls' taijiquan combined. Athletes from different countries competed for the first Youth Olympic medals in the discipline.

The women's changquan combined event required athletes to demonstrate skill across gunshu and changquan. The combined format meant that competitors had to deliver across both routines rather than rely on a single performance. The top eight from the preliminary phase advanced to the final, where the medal positions were decided.

For India, Lanchenbi Chanu's bronze was an important result in a sport with a growing base in the northeast. Her achievement also followed a strong qualification round, where she had placed second among the competitors.

India's Youth Olympics campaign gathers momentum

Lanchenbi Chanu's medal added to India's growing medal effort at Dakar. The country had also celebrated Dhinidhi Desinghu's historic bronze in the women's 100m freestyle swimming event, while Indian athletes were competing across several sports during the Games.

Before the wushu final, Lanchenbi Chanu had expressed her determination to return home with a medal and said she was aiming for gold. Although she finished with bronze, the result delivered a significant milestone for the young athlete and Indian wushu.

The medal gives Lanchenbi Chanu another major international achievement at youth level and strengthens her standing as one of the emerging names in Indian taolu. Her performances in Tianjin, at the national championships and now at the Youth Olympics point to a consistent run of results in 2026.

With wushu now part of the Youth Olympic medal programme, Lanchenbi Chanu's bronze will be remembered as one of India's early achievements in the sport at this level. The Manipuri athlete has turned her qualification form into a podium finish and added another highlight to India's Dakar 2026 campaign.