14-Year-Old Dhinidhi Desinghu Makes Waves at the Paris Olympics

The only teenager in the Indian contingent for the Rio Olympics back in 2016 was a golfer from Bengaluru. Fast forward to the Paris 2024 Olympics, and we have another young talent from Bengaluru, this time in the swimming pool — 14-year-old Dhinidhi Desinghu.

Dhinidhi made her mark by competing in the 200m freestyle event, where she finished 23rd out of 31 contestants with a time of 2:06.96. Although it wasn’t her personal best, just participating in such a high-stakes event was thrilling for her.

After her Olympic journey, the young swimmer had to leave the Olympic Village, following the rules that athletes vacate their lodgings two days after their events. However, she looked back on her experience with excitement, having had the chance to swim alongside some of the finest athletes in the world.

In a statement shared on the World Aquatics website, Dhinidhi expressed her happiness, saying, “Just getting a chance to be here with all these amazing athletes is such an amazing opportunity. I am just really happy I got a chance to be swimming at such an amazing venue at the Olympics. So, despite the time, it was good.”

This young swimmer has an inspiring history; she once struggled with nerves so much that she would throw up before competitions. Despite this, she has built an impressive record at the national level and has also proudly represented India at the Asian Games in Hangzhou as well as the World Aquatics Championships in Doha earlier this year.

After her event, Dhinidhi had a special moment where she attended a meet and greet at India House — the nation’s first Olympics hospitality house. Her youthful charm and slightly shy demeanor quickly won the hearts of the audience, making her quite popular among fans.