DAKAR, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- China's Chang Mohan claimed silver in the women's 200m individual medley at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games on Wednesday, while Japan's Mana Ishikawa completed a hat-trick of gold medals.
Chang advanced to the afternoon final after ranking third overall in the morning heats with a time of 2:20.23. In the final, Ishikawa built an early lead over the first 100 meters with strong butterfly and backstroke legs, closely pursued by Slovakia's Stela Megelova.
Chang surged during the breaststroke leg to overtake Megelova, finishing in 2:13.90, just 0.84 seconds behind Ishikawa, to claim her second silver medal at Dakar 2026.
Chang said fatigue, a strong field, venue conditions and swimming backstroke outdoors for the first time had all made the race particularly demanding.
"The result is within my expectations," she said. "Racing against Ishikawa was a real challenge. I gave it everything I had out there today. Though I couldn't quite edge her out for the top podium, I feel good about my performance."
Having already won gold in both the 100m and 200m breaststroke, Ishikawa added a third title to her tally.
Ishikawa said that although her times were outside her personal bests and she was not in ideal condition, she was pleased with her resilience.
Competing for a third consecutive day, Ishikawa has faced Chang several times in finals.
Recalling their friendly exchanges, Ishikawa said Chang had approached her on the first day of competition to say hello, and the two had exchanged pins.
"She offered her congratulations right after the race, which made me so happy," the 17-year-old Japanese added.
Also on Wednesday, Croatia's Ana Bobanovic won the women's 50m freestyle before taking silver in the 50m butterfly, where Russia's Serafima Fokina claimed gold.
In the men's events, China's Xie Yichen withdrew from the 200m individual medley due to illness, with Japan's Iori Miyazaki going on to claim the title.
Zdenek Prochazka of the Czech Republic won the men's 50m freestyle, while Egypt's Zain Ali took gold in the 50m butterfly to secure his second title of the Games, following his victory in the 100m butterfly. ■
