South Africa’s young athletes have won three medals at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Senegal, with two in the pool and one on the rugby field, IOL Sport reported.
Swimmer Leah Markgraaff, 17, opened the medal count with silver in the girls’ 400m freestyle. She touched the wall in 4:26.13 at the Dakar Aquatic Centre.
According to IOL Sport, her silver made her the first South African medallist at an Olympic event held on African soil.
“Of course, stepping onto the starting block brought nerves, but I remembered that they are normal and it is because I care about what I am doing. As soon as my head submerged beneath the water, I knew I was exactly where I am always meant to be,” Markgraaff said after the race.
She said she felt nervous before Sunday’s final. She had only raced in Africa before, and she did not know many of her international rivals.
A day later, Chanel Veldsman won bronze in the girls’ 200m breaststroke final. She finished in 2:30.87, which was four seconds faster than her previous best time.
Japan’s Mana Ishikawa won gold in that race in 2:26.50.
Veldsman is coached by Rocco Meiring. He also coaches Tatjana Smith, who is a double Olympic champion in breaststroke.
The third medal came from the boys’ rugby sevens team. They beat Argentina 24-12 in a tough semifinal to reach the gold medal match.
In the final, the South Africans lost 26-19 to France after a close and physical game. They went home with the silver medal.
More South African swimmers are still in action. Veldsman will swim in the heats of the 50m and 100m breaststroke.
Matthew Goller and Eric Kotze will race in individual medley, butterfly and relay events.
On the athletics track, South Africa has produced a champion at every Youth Olympics so far. Past winners include Jacques du Plessis, Gezelle Magerman and sprinter Luke Davids.
The athletics team arrives in Dakar after South Africa won eight medals at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Oregon. That haul included one gold, three silver and four bronze medals.
Hurdler Megan Nieman and jumper Matao le Roux both competed at those championships at Hayward Field. They are joined in Dakar by sprinter Enrique Bosch, Janelle Kirkpatrick and thrower Jacobus van der Merwe.
The Youth Olympics have a strong history for South Africa. In 2010 in Singapore, an 18-year-old Chad le Clos won five medals in the pool before going on to a famous senior career.
At Buenos Aires 2018, swimmer Michael Houlie won breaststroke gold and later competed at the Tokyo Olympics.
Triathlete Taylor Foster will try to match Amber Schlebusch, who won gold at the 2018 Games. Street skater Botho Losaba and beach wrestler Duné van Zyl are also hoping to reach the podium in Dakar.
Source: this article is based on reporting by IOL Sport. Image: IOL Sport. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Sports desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Tiyani Mathebula writes about sport for Tzaneen Voice. Tiyani covers Bafana Bafana, the Springboks, the Proteas and the PSL, along with athletics, tennis and local club sport. Match reports and previews focus on results, team news, fixtures and what each game means for South African teams and fans.