DAKAR, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- China claimed one gold and one bronze in badminton at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games on Thursday, while Zhu Yuanling won the women's street skateboarding title and Xie Yichen took gold in the men's 50m breaststroke despite illness.
In badminton, Zhang Yixin rallied from a game down to beat India's Tanvi Patri 15-21, 21-13, 26-24 in an 82-minute final, securing the women's singles gold.
Zhang saw a 19-10 lead slip away in the deciding game as Patri fought back to move ahead and earn match points. The Chinese teenager held her nerve, saving three match points before closing out the game 26-24.
"I've been in similar situations this year, when I let a big lead slip and ended up losing. That experience helped me today," Zhang said. "With my coach's encouragement, I adjusted my mindset, put the pressure aside and focused on each point and each shot."
She described it as the most unforgettable match of her career so far, full of twists and turns. Chinese coach Guo Zhendong said fluctuations were common in competitions among young players, adding that Zhang's ability to stay composed under pressure was particularly impressive.
In the men's singles bronze-medal match, Hong Tianyue defeated South Korea's Park Jung-bin to take bronze.
"I feel a little regret, but I think I'm mostly excited. After all, yesterday, even though I lost, I didn't give up. Today I started believing in myself again. That's how I won the match. I'm really happy about that," said the 17-year-old Hong.
The men's singles gold went to Riyan Malhan of the United Arab Emirates, who beat France's Mady Sow to secure his country's first gold medal at the Youth Olympic Games.
In skateboarding, Zhu, who recently won the women's street event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, claimed the women's street title, becoming the first female skateboarder to win a Youth Olympic gold medal.
"I made mistakes on my first two runs. If I hadn't nailed the third one, I probably wouldn't have won this gold medal," Zhu said.
Looking ahead, the 15-year-old said: "My next goal is the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. I look forward to showcasing even more difficult moves and a better-constructed routine for everyone."
In swimming, 16-year-old Xie claimed the men's 50m breaststroke title in 28.13 seconds despite still feeling unwell, ending his campaign with two gold medals and one silver.
Xie had withdrawn from the men's 200m individual medley on Wednesday after developing a high fever and persistent diarrhea.
Saying that the opportunity to compete at the Youth Olympic Games was too valuable to miss, Xie explained that he had been determined to race despite feeling unwell.
"I felt quite calm inside because I was physically so uncomfortable that I just didn't have the extra energy to celebrate. But I was confident that I could take this gold," he added.
In other swimming events, Romania's Daria-Mariuca Silisteanu won the women's 50m backstroke for her second gold after her victory in the 100m backstroke. Greece's Nikolaos Papatheodorou and Portugal's Miguel Reis Oliveira shared the men's 50m backstroke title after both clocked 25.69 seconds. Japan's Mana Ishikawa won the women's 50m breaststroke, claiming her fourth gold of the Games.
Swimming concludes on Friday, with four more gold medals at stake. China's Chang Mohan, who has already claimed two silver medals, will compete in the women's 200m freestyle and 200m butterfly.
In table tennis, Chinese Taipei's Chen Minhsin beat Singapore's Loy Ming Ying 4-2 to win the women's singles title, securing Chinese Taipei's first Youth Olympic gold in the sport.
Japan's Ryuusei Kawakami also won 4-2, defeating Colombia's Emanuel Otalvaro in the men's singles final. Having earlier won the mixed doubles title with Miku Matsushima, Kawakami claimed his second gold of the Games.
In equestrian, China's Sun Ruirui finished seventh in the individual jumping qualifier round B and will compete in Friday's final.
Portugal's Artur Gaspar won the men's triathlon gold. China's Xu Enge will compete in the women's triathlon on Friday, aiming to add another title to China's tally. ■
