Assam's Tirthank Pegu makes Youth Olympics 100m butterfly final

Assam swimmer Tirthank Pegu has qualified for the final of the men's 100m butterfly at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, after posting the third-fastest time across the heats on Sunday.

Pegu touched the wall in 55.15 seconds. He finished second in his own heat and third overall, which put him in the eight-swimmer medal race scheduled for later on Sunday.

How the heats played out

The fastest qualifier was an Egyptian swimmer, who timed 53.96 seconds, followed by Slovakia's Matias Kristof in 54.68. Pegu was next, and the margins below him were tiny: Serbia's Aleksej Kalanj finished fourth overall in 55.16, just one hundredth of a second slower. The last qualifying spot went to the Philippines' Jamesray Mishael Ajido in 56.33, according to the Philippine newspaper Daily Tribune.

Pegu's heat time is only a quarter of a second off his personal best of 54.90 seconds, which World Aquatics records show he swam at the Singapore National Age Group Championships in March 2026.

A rare final for India

IndiaSportsHub reported that Pegu is only the second Indian swimmer to reach a final at the Youth Olympic Games. The first was Srihari Nataraj, who made the boys' 100m backstroke final at the 2018 edition in Buenos Aires.

Who is Tirthank Pegu

Pegu trained at the Sports Authority of India centre in Delhi after clearing selection trials in 2023, and won silver medals in the 100m and 200m freestyle at the Khelo India Youth Games. He later moved to the Inspire Institute of Sport in Karnataka, where he trains under former Olympian Sandeep Sejwal, according to Revsportz.

His first big international podium came at the 2025 Asian Youth Games in Manama, Bahrain, where he won silver in the 200m butterfly. He also holds a Junior National Championship record. In Dakar he is entered in both the 100m and 200m butterfly, so he has a second chance at a podium later in the Games.

About the Games

Dakar 2026 is the first Olympic event ever held in Africa. The Games opened on October 31 and run until November 13, with about 2,700 athletes aged 14 to 17. India has sent a 17-member team, with swimmer Dhinidhi Desinghu and badminton player Dev Ruparelia as flagbearers at the opening ceremony.

NEInsider will update this story with the result of the final.