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Dakar 2026 Youth Olympics: Khushbu Rajakbhai wins judo silver

India's Khushbu Rajakbhai claimed silver in the women's 63kg judo category at Dakar 2026 after losing the final by ippon.

By , Sports writer

· 2 min read

A Olympic stadium, general view
Olympic stadium (general file photo, not from this event) Photo: Harrystyle / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

Khushbu Rajakbhai secured a silver medal at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympics. She lost the women's 63kg final to Germany's Jolina Reinhold by ippon in 48 seconds.

Key takeaways

  • Khushbu Rajakbhai won silver in the women's 63kg judo category at Dakar 2026
  • She lost to Germany's Jolina Reinhold by ippon in a 48-second final
  • Thangjam Tababi Devi won silver for India in judo at the 2018 Youth Olympics
  • Khushbu beat Mamaissata Camara, Abir Bouazzaoui and Dounia Berrahoual en route to the final

Teenager Khushbu Rajakbhai signed off with a silver medal after becoming only the second Indian judoka to reach the podium at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar on Monday, Sportstar reported.

Khushbu, 15, settled for silver in the women’s 63kg category after losing to Germany’s Jolina Reinhold by ippon in a contest that lasted just 48 seconds, Sportstar said.

The Gujarat judoka had scripted a dream run to the final before running into Cadet world champion Reinhold, who proved too strong in the title clash.

Thangjam Tababi Devi remains India’s only other judo medallist at the Youth Olympics, having won silver in the women’s 44kg category at the 2018 edition in Buenos Aires, Argentina, according to Sportstar.

Khushbu was in impressive form on her way to the final. She opened with a 1-0 yuko win over Guinea’s Mamaissata Camara in the round of 16 before dispatching Morocco’s Abir Bouazzaoui by ippon in the quarterfinals, Sportstar reported.

She then booked her place in the final with another ippon victory over Algeria’s Dounia Berrahoual. The Algerian was also handed a ‘Hansoku-make’, the most serious penalty in judo, resulting in immediate disqualification and an automatic win for Khushbu.

A gold would have made Khushbu only the fourth Indian to win the top prize at the Youth Olympics, joining pistol shooters Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary, and weightlifter Jeremy Lalrinnunga, who all struck gold in 2018, Sportstar said.

The Youth Olympic Games are an international multi-sport event for athletes aged 15 to 18 years old, organized by the International Olympic Committee and held every four years in staggered summer and winter events, according to Wikipedia.

The 2026 Summer Youth Olympics, officially known as the IV Summer Youth Olympic Games and commonly known as Dakar 2026, is the fourth edition of the Summer Youth Olympics and is scheduled to be held in Dakar, Senegal from 31 October to 13 November 2026, becoming the first IOC event to be held in Africa, according to Wikipedia.

The Republic of India is competing in the 2026 Summer Youth Olympics to be held in Dakar, Senegal from 31 October to 13 November 2026. This is the nation’s fourth consecutive appearance since the inaugural edition. A total of 17 players will participate in this edition across 11 different disciplines, according to Wikipedia.

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