Who Is Shourya Ambure? India’s Youth Olympic Bronze Medallist, Records and Career

Who is Shourya Ambure? She is the 17-year-old hurdler from Thane, Maharashtra, who won bronze in the women’s 100m hurdles at the Youth Olympic Games 2026 in Dakar. On 8 November she clocked a personal best of 13.59 seconds and missed silver by just 0.02 seconds.

She was also India’s only athletics entrant in Dakar. This page therefore tells her whole story so far: her medals, her personal bests, her last two seasons race by race, and the police family behind her.

Who is Shourya Ambure? The short answer

Shourya Ambure is an Indian hurdler who competes for Maharashtra, and her name is sometimes spelt Shaurya Ambure. She was born on 3 September 2009, according to World Athletics. She runs the 100m hurdles, and she also races the 100m and 60m.

In less than two years, she has won three individual medals abroad. She took Asian U18 bronze in Dammam and Asian Youth Games silver in Manama in 2025. Then, in 2026, she added Youth Olympic Games bronze in Dakar.

Youth Olympic Games 2026: 100m hurdles bronze by 0.02 seconds

The women’s 100m hurdles semi-finals and final both took place in Dakar on Sunday 8 November. In the earlier round, Shourya ran 13.77, which was already a lifetime best. A few hours later, she lined up for the medals.

China’s Zhang Keyi won gold in 13.17, a Games record and an Asian U18 record, as World Athletics reported. France’s Anna Peeters took silver in 13.57. Shourya, meanwhile, crossed the line in 13.59 for bronze, just 0.02 behind Peeters.

The medal also came after an unusual build-up. India had two athletics quota places, but race walker Vishnu was dropped over a passport issue. As a result, Shourya travelled as India’s only athletics entrant.

In addition, the whole Indian team in Dakar was small. Its 17 athletes made up India’s smallest squad at a Summer Youth Olympics since the Games began in 2010, AthleticsIndia reported.

Who is Shourya Ambure in Asia? Bronze in Dammam, silver in Manama

Her first international medal came at the Asian U18 Championships in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, in April 2025. Aged just 15, she clocked a personal best of 13.80 for bronze, NNIS SPORTS reports . China took the top two places.

Six months later, she went one better at the Asian Youth Games in Manama, Bahrain. She ran 14.00 in her heat and then a personal best of 13.73 in the final for silver. In addition, she won a second silver in the girls’ medley relay with Bhumika Nehate, Edwina Jason and Tannu.

Shourya Ambure’s 2025 and 2026 seasons, race by race

Her rise came fast. For example, she was still racing the 80m hurdles at U16 level in December 2024. Within 11 months, however, she had an Asian Youth Games silver over the 100m hurdles.

The Youth Nationals in Ludhiana showed both sides of hurdling. In the heats, she broke a 14-year-old meet record. However, she fell at the second-last hurdle in the final, and Karnataka’s Nupura Hola won the title in 13.78.

Even so, the selectors still picked her for Dakar. She reportedly met the standard at a special trial at SAI Bengaluru with a hand-timed 13.10. The full Ludhiana entry list is in our Youth Nationals 2026 bib list.

Shourya Ambure personal bests

Her hurdles best came in her latest race. The other marks below are from her World Athletics profile and race reports.

Her 13.59 is also quicker than the 13.70 that the AFI lists as the U18 national record, set by P.M. Thabitha in 2019. However, a time only becomes a record after ratification, and no ratification has been announced yet.

Meanwhile, the senior hurdles scene she is moving towards is strong. Jyothi Yarraji won the 2026 Inter-State title in 12.99. In addition, Federation Cup champion Nandhini Kongan reached the Asian Games final in Nagoya.

Who is Shourya Ambure’s coach? From Thane to Dakar

Shourya joined coach Ajit Kulkarni’s academy in Vasant Vihar, Thane, when she was nine. At first, she went there only for fitness training. Later, she began proper training for U14 competitions.

She then raced the 80m hurdles in the U14 and U16 categories. In December 2024, she won the U16 national title in 11.55. Her move to the 100m hurdles came in 2025, and her Khelo India Youth Games final that May was only her fourth race at the distance.

Even so, she raced with calm judgement. On her coach’s advice, she did not chase a Games record in Patna and simply won gold in 14.11, IANS reported. Afterwards, she said she still had “a lot of time in the U18 to break the national youth record.”

Who is Shourya Ambure beyond the track? Police parents and board exams

Shourya comes from a police family. Her parents, Rupali and Avinash Ambure, are IPS officers who hold senior ranks in the Maharashtra Police. In addition, her father played badminton at state level.

Her breakthrough also came in a busy school year. She was preparing for her Class 10 board exams when she won her first Asian medal in Dammam.

Training takes effort too. Thane had no synthetic track at the time, so her group travelled four days a week to Bandra, Ghatkopar and Balewadi in Pune. Meanwhile, her goal in 2025 was a medal at the Asian Youth Games, and she won two there that October.

Follow Shourya Ambure on Athletics India

Her races are covered on our women’s 100m hurdles page and in our women’s hurdles section. In addition, the latest meets are on Indian athletics results and Indian athletics news, and the senior hurdlers’ results from Nagoya are on our Asian Games 2026 hub.