Navi Mumbai: An 18-year-old athlete from Thane won bronze in the women’s 100-metre hurdles at Dakar-2026 Youth Olympic Games in Senegal, setting a national record of 13.59 seconds. Shourya Ambure (18), despite returning from a career-threatening anterior cruciate ligament injury, surpassed the previous national record of 13.70 seconds at the Games, being held from Nov 2 to 13. She was the only athletics competitor in India’s 17-member contingent across 11 sports. She also broke the previous national record of 13.70 seconds, which was set by P M Thabitha in 2019.Ambure set a new U-18 (women’s youth category) national record. She had lowered her personal best to 13.77 seconds in the semi-final before cutting another 0.18 seconds in the final. Ambure became the first Indian athlete to win a track medal at Youth Olympics; she finished behind China’s Zhang Keyi, who won gold with a personal best of 13.17 seconds, and France’s Anna Peeters, who took the silver medal after finishing in 13.57 seconds.Ambure has also qualified for World School Games, scheduled in Rio, Brazil, from Dec 3 to 8. “The qualification puts me on two international stages in 2026, months after surgery, rehabilitation and a demanding effort to return to the track,” Ambure said.She began 2026 on crutches after winning two silver medals at Asian Youth Games in Bahrain last year. She subsequently underwent months of rehabilitation and training before resuming preparations for international competition. Her coach, Ajit Kulkarni, who has been training Ambure for the last nine years, said she was India’s only athlete to qualify in athletics for Youth Olympic Games.Deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde and other senior officials along with sports enthusiasts congratulated Ambure for her performance. Her family credited her determination and hard work for her achievement.
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