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Indian swimmer Tirthank Pegu described his bronze medal at the Youth Olympics as a dream come true, crediting a year of dedicated preparation with his coach, while asserting that the recent success of Indian swimmers on the international stage was not sudden.
Pegu scripted history by becoming the first Indian male swimmer to win a medal at the Youth Olympics. Pegu, who is also an Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) athlete, clinched a bronze medal at the competition. "Yeah, it's like it was my dream to win a medal in the Youth Olympics. And me and my coach, we both worked for this particular competition the whole year. So I'm really feeling good right now, but I'm a bit little disappointed, but it's okay; at least I am the first male swimmer right now," Pegu said during a media roundtable. Asked about the reasons behind India having two swimmers, Pegu and Dhinidhi Desinghu, winning medals at the Youth Olympics, he said their achievements were the result of sustained efforts and the foundation laid by earlier Indian swimmers. Pegu pointed to Desinghu's experience, noting that she had already established herself as a promising swimmer before the competition. He also credited the contributions of swimmers such as Sajan Prakash and Srihari Nataraj in creating a pathway for the next generation. "I would say, like, it's not a sudden success. Like, if you have heard of Dhinidhi, she's been the youngest Olympian, like in Paris. So she already was a good swimmer before this competition. And like, about me, it's like I have been training for this competition, like, as I said, for a year. So I like the previous swimmers creating a pathway, like Sajan Prakash and Srihari Nataraj; he/she was one of the finalists in the 2018 Youth Olympics. So it's not, I'd say; it's not sudden, actually," the Indian swimmer said. Tirthank finished with a bronze medal in the men's 200 m butterfly event with a time of 2:01.25 in the final, becoming the first Indian male swimmer to win a medal at the Youth Olympics. He had made it to the finals by finishing first in the heats with a time of 2:05.30. Egypt's Zain Ali claimed the gold medal with a timing of 1:57.88, while Vietnam's Duong Van Hoang Quy secured silver with a time of 2:00.32. Tirthank's historic achievement added to India's medal tally, which also included three medals in wrestling, while Dhinidhi Desinghu secured bronze medals in the women's 100m and 200m freestyle events. Pegu's bronze and Desinghu's medal mark a significant achievement for Indian swimming at the Youth Olympics, with Pegu emphasising the role of consistent preparation and the contributions of previous generations of swimmers. (ANI)
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