Dakar Youth Olympics 2026: India's Khushbu Rajakbai Darjada wins Judo silver after reaching final

India's Khushbu Rajakbai Darjada clinched the silver medal in the women's -63kg judo event at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Senegal after losing the final against Germany's Jolina Reinhold.

It was Khushbu's second medal at the international level this year. Earlier this year, she won bronze (-63kg) at the Asian Cadet Championships held in Amman, Jordan, according to a press release.

Hailing from Somnath in the Gujarat region, Khushbu on Monday became the second Indian judo player to have won a medal at the Youth Olympic Games. Manipur’s Tababi Devi was the first Indian judo player to win a medal, a silver at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games.

On her way to the final, the Indian player outplayed Mamaissata Camara of Guinea in the first round. She got the better of Abir Bouazzaoui of Morocco in the quarterfinal. Khushbu beat Dounia Berrahoual of Algeria in the semifinal to advance to the gold medal round. 

Khushbu said she was prepared to face Germany's experienced Jolina Reinhold and described competing in Dakar as a great global-level experience. "I was mentally and physically prepared to face experienced Jolina Reinhold of Germany in the final. It was a great experience for me to compete at the global level in Dakar," said Khushbu.

Youngest of the seven siblings, Khushbu began her sporting career at district level at Somnath’s judo academy in 2021.  "It was good to win district-level competitions. It motivated me to continue to pursue judo," she recalled her formative days of training. 

Two years later was selected for Vijayi Bharat Foundation (VBF), a high-performance centre in Ahmedabad. Under the tutelage of judo coach Lal Krishan Baghel at the VBF, she further improved her skills.  "Better training and good sparring partners at the VBF enabled Khushbu to win a medal in Dakar," said Baghel.

Khushbu has no plans to take a break and celebrate her silver medal performance with her parents in Somnath. Instead, she is gearing up for her next competition.  "I doubt I will get leave to meet my parents as I have to compete in the Khelo India competition," she added.