Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games: 57 medals in two days, and judoka Matar Diop opens Senegal's account

The first Youth Olympic Games (YOG) held on African soil have already distributed 57 medals, including 17 gold and as many silver, after two days of competition in Dakar, according to the Senegalese Press Agency (APS) and the Journal du Sénégal. Six of these medals went to athletes from the continent, and Senegal, the host country, opened its account thanks to judoka Matar Diop.

Matar Diop took bronze in the under-66 kg category, which he shares with Argentina's Thiago Carvallo. Gold went to Ukraine's Khazar Heydarov and silver to Canada's Anes Mati. This is the first Senegalese medal of these Games, snatched in front of a large crowd in a country that has been waiting for this fortnight for years.

Egypt and South Africa in the spotlight

The first African gold of the competition fell the day before in the pool: Egyptian swimmer Zain Ali won the men's 100m butterfly in 52.16 seconds, ahead of Serbia's Aleksej Kalanj and Slovakia's Matiáš Krištof. Egypt completed its haul with Aly Elramly's bronze in the under-81 kg judo category.

South Africa came very close to the title in rugby sevens: beaten 26-19 in the final by France, they leave with silver, with Argentina completing the podium. The South Africans picked up a second silver medal with swimmer Leah Markgraaff in the women's 400m freestyle, behind Ecuador's Elvira Espinosa.

Zambia also added its name to the list of winners: Elisha Zimba took bronze in men's wrestling in the under-55 kg category, in a class won by Azerbaijan's Ibrahim Talibov.

Eleven days of competition still to come

Launched on November 2, 2026, these fourth Youth Olympic Games continue until November 13, 2026. The events are spread between the Iba Mar Diop complex in Dakar (futsal, rugby sevens), the Tour de l'Œuf complex in Point E (baseball5, swimming), the Dakar Arena in Diamniadio (badminton), the Diamniadio Exhibition Center (table tennis, judo, wushu), and Saly, in the Mbour department (rowing, beach volleyball).

For the continent's youth, the stakes go beyond the podium count: it is the first time the Olympic movement has held one of its competitions in Africa, and these fifteen days serve as a showcase for a generation that the major global circuits are only just discovering. Egyptian swimmer Zain Ali, when asked about the flattering comparisons, summed up the prevailing mood: he wants, he says, to be "the first Zain."