Dakar 2026: Nigeria End Youth Olympics Campaign with Three Gold Medals

Posted : 12 November 2026

Team Nigeria have concluded their participation in the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games with three gold medals, all won in athletics. The country's final competitive appearance came through boxer Shukurat Mayowa, who lost her women’s 48kg quarterfinal bout to Algeria’s Bouthaina Bensalah.

Mayowa suffered a 5-0 unanimous points defeat on Tuesday, November 10, at the Dakar Expo Centre. The result ended Nigeria’s final medal opportunity in the competition and confirmed the country’s exit from the boxing event.

The Nigerian was unable to overcome Bensalah, who secured her place in the semifinals. The defeat also reversed their previous result at the 2025 African Youth Games in Luanda, Angola, where Mayowa defeated the Algerian to win the continental title.

Mayowa had entered the Dakar competition directly at the quarterfinal stage after receiving a bye in the opening round. Despite the early exit, the experience provides another opportunity for the young boxer to develop at international level.

Athletics Delivers Three Historic Gold Medals

Nigeria's strongest performances came in athletics, where Gift Bright, Rosemary Chigozie Nwankwo and Praise Ugoh secured three gold medals.

Bright opened Nigeria's gold-medal account by winning the men's 100m in a Games-record time of 10.28 seconds. The 15-year-old finished ahead of China's Hangyu Zhang, who clocked 10.57 seconds, while Poland's Szymon Dolega took bronze in 10.61 seconds.

His victory marked the first time a Nigerian athlete had won the men's 100m title at the Youth Olympic Games.

Nwankwo followed with another historic performance in the women's 100m. She clocked 11.16 seconds to complete Nigeria's sprint double, finishing ahead of the United Arab Emirates' Arwa Ali in 11.41 seconds and Qatar's Dana Salem in 11.48 seconds.

Her triumph made her the third Nigerian woman to win the Youth Olympic women's 100m title, following Josephine Omaka in 2010 and Rosemary Chukwuma in 2018.

Praise Ugoh delivered Nigeria's third gold medal in the women's 400m. She recorded a personal-best 52.76 seconds to finish ahead of Venezuela's Osmary Pacheco, who clocked 52.85 seconds. Aisha Muhammed of the United Arab Emirates took bronze in 53.06 seconds.

Ugoh's victory also made her Nigeria's first women's 400m champion at the Youth Olympic Games.

Javelin Disappointment for Nigeria

Nigeria's athletics campaign also experienced a setback in the men's javelin final. Godswill Nkemakolam recorded a Did Not Start (DNS) after failing to take his place in the competition.

Dakar 2026 marks the first time the Youth Olympic Games have been hosted on African soil. The event began on October 31 and is scheduled to run until November 13.

Nigeria's three gold medals came entirely from athletics, with Bright, Nwankwo and Ugoh delivering significant milestones for the country's youth sports programme. The performances provide a positive foundation for the development of the next generation of Nigerian athletes.

Dakar 2026: Nigeria End Youth Olympics Campaign with Three Gold Medals

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