The Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026 have officially begun, with 27 medals awarded on the first day, including eight gold and eight silver medals. The host country, Senegal, has won its first medal through judoka Matar Diop, who secured the bronze in the under-66 kg category. Diop shared the third-place podium with Argentine Thiago Carvalho. This medal marks Senegal's entry into the medal tally at the Youth Olympic Games.
The under-66 kg judo category saw Ukrainian Khazar Heydarov claim the gold medal after defeating Canadian Anes Mati in the final, who took home the silver medal. In other events, Egyptian Zain Ali dominated the men's 100 meters butterfly, finishing in 52 seconds 16 to take the gold. Serbian Aleksej Kalanj won silver, while Slovakian Matiáš Krištof secured bronze.
In the women's 100 meters butterfly, Russian Serafima Fokina emerged victorious with a time of 59 seconds 81. Romanian Daria Silișteanu took second place, and Brazilian Ana Júlia Aguiar Amaral finished third. New Zealander Ariel Muchirahondo won the men's 200 meters backstroke, giving New Zealand its first swimming title at the Youth Olympics. Iranian Parsa Shahshahani won silver, and Greek Nikolaos Papatheodorou took bronze.
Argentine Cecilia Dieleke made history by becoming the first Argentine swimmer to win an Olympic title, taking gold in the women's 200 meters backstroke. Greek Eirini Zervou finished second, and Israeli Ofir Simcha took third. Turkish judoka Sema Yüksel won gold in the women's under-44 kg category, defeating Jordanian Houda Wshah in the final. Italian Sara Coni and Venezuelan Rosalvick Aguilar secured bronze medals.
Azerbaijani Ibrahim Talibov claimed gold in the men's under-55 kg judo category, beating Croatian Jona Zvorc in the final. Zambian Elisha Zimba and Mongolian Tugskhuslen Tungalag took bronze medals. The Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026 will continue on Monday with various events across multiple competition sites.
The competitions on Monday will feature futsal and rugby at the Iba Mar Diop complex in Dakar, baseball5 and swimming at the Tour de l'Œuf, badminton at the Dakar Arena in Diamniadio, and tennis, judo, and wushu at the Centre des Expositions. Aviron and beach volleyball events will take place in Saly, Mbour department.
The Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026 brings together young athletes from around the world to compete in various sports. With Senegal's first medal secured, attention now turns to the upcoming events and which countries will emerge as top performers.
Key points
- Senegal wins its first medal at Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026 through judoka Matar Diop.
- 27 medals awarded on the first day of Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026.
- Various events to take place across multiple sites on Monday.
