Dhinidhi Desinghu was once afraid of going into a swimming pool but on Monday, the 16-year-old made history by becoming the first-ever Indian to win a global medal in the sport after clinching a 100m freestyle bronze at the Youth Olympics in Dakar, Senegal.Dhinidhi clocked 56.27s in the final to set a new national record, lowering her own previous mark of 56.57, set at the Indian Championships in Ahmedabad on June 18. The teenager from Bengaluru had earlier topped her heat in 56.80 seconds to qualify for the final as the third-fastest swimmer. Croatia’s Ana Bobanovic (56.22s) and Alyssa Lawson of New Zealand (56.53s) were the only swimmers quicker than her in the heats.Dhinidhi’s medal also opened India’s account at the ongoing Youth Olympics.The prodigy, who made her senior Olympics debut in Paris at 14, was more happy with her timing.“I wanted the gold and my plan was to go sub-56s. When I saw the result on the board, I was not exactly thrilled. But when I stood on the podium, the feeling of winning a medal finally sank in,” Dhinidhi told The Indian Express from Dakar.Before traveling to the Youth Olympics, Dhinidhi had set a target of lowering the national record.“I didn’t think much about the medal when I landed here. My whole focus was on improving my personal best. But as I topped the heats, the confidence of a podium finish came naturally,” she said.Story continues below this adDhinidhi swam a strong second half after clocking 27.31s over the first 50m, being placed fifth at the turn, before making up time and places to finish third behind Bobanovic and Lawson.“I didn’t swim here for three days after landing due to the pool’s closure. The weather was also hot and sticky but I think now that I have settled in, I will perform well in my next events,” she said.Dhinidhi is set to compete in the women’s 200m individual medley on Wednesday and the 200m freestyle on Friday.“I am proud of her. She has achieved what no other Indian swimmer has done,” Dhinidhi’s mother Jesitha said. “She has always been a hardworking athlete and today’s result was just the culmination of her efforts over the years.”Story continues below this adDronacharya awardee coach Nihar Ameen, under whom Dhinidhi trains at Dolphin Aquatics in Bengaluru, calls her a generational talent.“When she came here, she had no idea what swimming was. She was a nine-year-old training with kids four or five years older than her,” Amin told this newspaper.The coach said that Dhinidhi targeted a personal best, but the medal is a historic one.“I always told her to work hard and the medals will come. Her target was to get the personal best and in the process, the medal arrived. I believe she will do better in the 200m freestyle.”Story continues below this adDhinidhi trains under Amin and Madhu Kumar at the academy.“When we first saw her and how crazy she was about working hard, we realised that we have got a special talent. Sometimes, we have to call her out from the pool, she is that kind of an athlete,” Amin added.At the age of 16, Dhinidhi has experience of competing at the Olympics, Asian Games and World Championships. Amin believes she is a potential flagbearer of the sport in the country.“She is going to raise the standard of the sport in the country. She is already dominating at the national level, has defeated Chinese swimmers in age-group competitions, and has now won a global medal. All these are signs of what she can do when her body reaches its full potential,” the coach felt.Story continues below this adWith a couple of events left, Dhinidhi has the opportunity to further burnish her credentials and make a name for herself in a sport where Indian has hardly had any success.