Sports/Alive News: India’s Khushbu Rajkabai Darjada won a silver medal in the women’s 63kg judo category at the ongoing Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal. The 17-year-old lost to Germany’s Jolina Reinhold in the final held on Monday evening.
With this achievement, Khushbu became the second Indian judoka to win a medal at the Youth Olympics. Earlier, Manipur’s Tababi Devi had secured a silver medal at the 2018 edition.
Reached the final after three consecutive wins
Khushbu secured her place in the final after defeating three opponents. She began her campaign with a victory over Guinea’s Mamaissa Kamara, followed by wins against Morocco’s Abir Bouaajjaoui in the quarter-finals and Algeria’s Dounia Berahoual in the semi-finals.
However, she could not overcome Germany’s Reinhold in the title clash. Khushbu said she was mentally and physically prepared to face the experienced German judoka and described her international competition experience in Dakar as memorable.
Second international medal this year
This is Khushbu’s second international medal in 2026. Earlier, she won bronze in the 63kg category at the Asian Cadet Championships held in Amman, Jordan.
Hailing from Somnath in Gujarat, Khushbu is the youngest of seven siblings. She began competing at the district level in 2021 through a local judo academy. In 2023, she was selected for the Vijay Bharat Foundation’s High Performance Centre in Ahmedabad, where she trained under coach Lal Krishna Baghel.
According to her coach, quality training facilities and regular practice with strong opponents played an important role in her achievement.
Khushbu is now focusing on preparations for the upcoming Khelo India competition and said she may not get time to visit her parents immediately after the victory.
