India's Khushbu Rajakbhai Darjada won the silver medal in the women's 63kg judo event at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games on Monday, becoming only the second Indian judoka ever to stand on a Youth Olympic podium, the International Judo Federation (IJF) and MyKhel reported.

Source: International Judo Federation

The 15-year-old from Gujarat lost the final to Germany's Jolina Reinhold, who finished the contest by ippon. MyKhel reported the title bout lasted just 48 seconds. The IJF's official final results for the women's -63kg category list Reinhold first, Darjada second and Indonesia's Sashenka Fatimah among the bronze medallists.

Source: MyKhel

A run built on ippons

Darjada's road to the final included a 1-0 win by yuko, two victories by ippon and a semi-final that was awarded to her after her opponent was handed a Hansoku-make, judo's most serious penalty, which brings immediate disqualification, according to reports of her campaign in Dakar.

Her silver puts her alongside Thangjam Tababi Devi, who remains India's only other judo medallist at the Youth Olympics after winning silver in the women's 44kg category at Buenos Aires 2018. A gold medal on Monday would also have made Darjada only the fourth Indian ever to top a Youth Olympic podium, after pistol shooters Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary and weightlifter Jeremy Lalrinnunga, all in 2018.

India's second medal of Dakar 2026

Darjada's silver is India's second medal of these Games. Earlier on Monday, 16-year-old Bengaluru swimmer Dhinidhi Desinghu won bronze in the women's 100m freestyle in 56.27 seconds, a new Indian national record and the country's first-ever swimming medal at an Olympic-category event.

The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, the first Olympic event ever staged in Africa, run from October 31 to November 13 in Senegal. India has sent a 17-member contingent, with 11 women and six men, across 11 sports.