Tirthank Pegu is a teenage swimmer from Assam who made Indian sporting history on 6 November 2026, winning bronze in the men’s 200m butterfly at Dakar 2026. Clocking 2:01.25, he became the first Indian male swimmer ever to win a medal at the Youth Olympics — hours after finishing fourth in the 100m butterfly final. His bronze was India’s sixth medal of the Dakar Games and, with Dhinidhi Desinghu’s two bronzes, completed India’s finest Youth Olympics swimming campaign.
Pegu’s medal rewarded a carefully built rise: silver at the 2025 Asian Youth Games, a personal best of 2:00.96 in Singapore in March 2026, and six weeks training in Europe alongside Sajan Prakash. It was also deeply personal: Pegu lost his father in January 2024 and has spoken openly about swimming in his father’s memory.
| Full Name | Tirthank Pegu |
| Date of Birth | Not publicly disclosed |
| Age | 17 years (as reported in November 2026; date of birth not publicly disclosed) |
| Height | Not publicly disclosed |
| Birthplace | Jorhat, Assam, India |
| Occupation | Competitive swimmer (butterfly) |
| Known For | Bronze, men’s 200m butterfly, Dakar 2026 — first Indian male swimmer to medal at the Youth Olympics |
| Net Worth 2026 | Not publicly disclosed |
Early Life
Tirthank Pegu comes from Jorhat in Assam. His swimming story began almost by chance: as he told The Bridge from Dakar, he was four when his uncle took him to what was then the only good 50-metre pool in Assam. “The pool looked so blue, I wanted to swim,” he said. His uncle enrolled him in an academy, though he drifted in and out for years.
It was his father, Kunal Pegu, who kept pushing him to continue. In June 2023, Pegu cleared the selection trials for the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre in Delhi and began training there under coach Partha Pratim Majumder. As he told The Bridge: “When I turned 16, I realised it was time to get focussed. I came to Delhi and that’s when I felt it was serious.”
Then came a devastating loss. In January 2024, his father died of a sudden cardiac arrest, just days before the Khelo India Youth Games in Chennai. His mother, Protima Pegu, made sure he still competed, encouraging him despite the family’s grief, as reported by The New Indian Express. Days after losing his father, Pegu won silver in both the 100m and 200m freestyle at those Games. He has said since that he is chasing his father’s dream of him representing India at the Olympics.
Career
Pegu’s first notable junior results came at national level: a bronze at the Junior National Championships in Odisha in 2023 and a Junior National Championship record. His international debut came at the 2025 World Aquatics Junior Swimming Championships in Otopeni, Romania, according to Revsportz.
His international breakthrough arrived at the 2025 Asian Youth Games in Manama, Bahrain. On 30 October 2025, Pegu won silver in the men’s 200m butterfly in 2:02.56, behind Iran’s Mohammad Mahdi Gholami (2:01.75) and ahead of Hong Kong’s Wang Yi Shun (2:03.45).
The 2026 season brought a big leap forward. At the Singapore National Age Group Swimming Championships in March, Pegu clocked a personal best of 2:00.96 in the 200m butterfly to take bronze, improving his previous best of 2:02.56 by more than a second and a half, and recorded a 100m butterfly best of 54.90 seconds. After Singapore he spent six weeks training in Europe — three weeks at a high-altitude camp in Spain followed by three weeks in Scotland — including time alongside Sajan Prakash. He now trains at the Inspire Institute of Sport in Vijayanagar, Karnataka, under Sandeep Sejwal, the Asian Games medallist turned coach.
At Dakar 2026, Pegu contested both the 100m and 200m butterfly. In the 100m, he qualified for the final with 55.15 seconds — second in his heat and third overall — then finished fourth in the final in 54.98, narrowly missing the podium. He was only the second Indian swimmer ever to reach a Youth Olympic swimming final, after Srihari Nataraj in 2018. In the 200m butterfly, his stronger event, he topped the heats with 2:05.30.
Egypt’s Zain Ali won the final in 1:57.88, with Vietnam’s Duong Van Hoang Quy taking silver in 2:00.32. Pegu touched third in 2:01.25 to claim bronze — slower than his personal best, but enough to make history as the first Indian male swimmer to medal at the Youth Olympics. His coach, Sandeep Sejwal, told MyKhel afterwards that Pegu had the potential to win gold or silver. The medal took India’s tally at Dakar 2026 to six — two silver and four bronze — and capped a remarkable day alongside Dhinidhi Desinghu, who won her second bronze of the Games earlier that day.
With the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games ahead, Pegu’s next targets are clear: a sub-two-minute 200m butterfly, a national record, and the senior Indian team — the path stars such as PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen followed in their own sports.
Personal Life
Pegu is a teenager whose public life is almost entirely about his swimming. In interviews from Dakar, he has spoken about his family with openness: his uncle introducing him to the pool at four, his father’s encouragement, and his mother’s support after his father’s death. He has said he swims for his late father and thinks of his father’s sacrifices whenever he doubts himself.
Tirthank Pegu Net Worth 2026
There is no publicly reported net worth figure for Tirthank Pegu. He is a teenage amateur swimmer whose support comes through institutional channels — the Sports Authority of India, the Inspire Institute of Sport and the national federation — rather than commercial earnings.
He has no reported endorsement deals, and swimming in India offers limited commercial income even for senior stars.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Tirthank Pegu?
Tirthank Pegu is 17 years old, according to reports published after his Dakar 2026 final. His exact date of birth has not been publicly disclosed, and some reports published before the Games listed him as 16.
What medal did Tirthank Pegu win at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympics?
He won bronze in the men’s 200m butterfly final on 6 November 2026, clocking 2:01.25, behind Egypt’s Zain Ali (gold, 1:57.88) and Vietnam’s Duong Van Hoang Quy (silver, 2:00.32) — the first Indian male swimmer ever to medal at the Youth Olympics.
What is Tirthank Pegu’s personal best in the 200m butterfly?
His personal best is 2:00.96, set in Singapore in March 2026. His medal-winning time at Dakar 2026 was 2:01.25, and his stated target is to go under two minutes.
Where is Tirthank Pegu from?
He is from Jorhat, Assam, where he first took up swimming at four. He now trains at the Inspire Institute of Sport, Vijayanagar, Karnataka, under Sandeep Sejwal.
Who is Tirthank Pegu’s coach?
His coach is Sandeep Sejwal, an Asian Games medallist turned coach, at the Inspire Institute of Sport, Karnataka. He previously trained under Partha Pratim Majumder at the SAI centre in Delhi.
What is Tirthank Pegu’s net worth in 2026?
His net worth is not publicly known. He is a teenage amateur swimmer with no reported endorsements.
