DAKAR, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Ecuador's Elvira Espinosa won the first gold medal of the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games on Sunday, clocking a personal-best 4 minutes, 22.87 seconds in the women's 400-meter freestyle.
"I feel so happy to win the first gold medal here at this Youth Olympic Games. I'm so grateful to all the people who support me," Espinosa told Xinhua, with her gold medal hanging around her neck.
The Ecuadorian improved on her previous personal best of 4:25.34, set at the 2026 South American Youth Games.
"That's my best result in all the competitions I had, and this gold medal is the best of best," she added.
The fastest heat began at around 10:19 a.m. local time at the outdoor 50-meter pool at Complexe Tour l'Oeuf, with temperatures hovering around 30 degrees Celsius under cloudy skies.
"In my country, the weather is similar, but the sun is not that burning like this. The water was good. I don't have a problem with that," Espinosa said.
South Africa's Leah Markgraaff took silver in 4:26.13, while Belgium's Celya Paques claimed bronze in 4:28.37.
Markgraaff said she was proud to win a medal at the first Olympic sporting event held in Africa.
"I think it's really amazing. It just shows you that we are getting better and soon, we'll be able to hold big events like this again," she said.
The fourth Summer Youth Olympic Games are taking place in the Senegalese cities of Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly through November 13, with swimming competitions running until November 6. ■
