Gold medalist Xie Yichen of China poses for a photo during the awarding ceremony for the men's 50m breaststroke final at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, Nov. 5, 2026. (Xinhua/Wang Dongzhen)
DAKAR, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- China's Xie Yichen overcame illness to win the men's 50m breaststroke title at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games on Thursday, clocking 28.13 seconds.
The victory brought the 16-year-old Chinese swimmer's Youth Olympic campaign to a close with two gold medals and one silver.
The 50m breaststroke title was hard-earned, as Xie battled a high fever and persistent diarrhea on Wednesday, forcing him to withdraw from the men's 200m individual medley.
Determined to make the most of what he considered a once-in-a-lifetime experience, Xie said he was prepared to push through the physical discomfort.
The Chinese swimmer clocked 28.87 seconds in the 50m breaststroke heats to qualify third overall. Visibly exhausted upon leaving the pool, he had to stop and catch his breath near the referees' table before slowly making his way off the pool deck.
The final took place under intense sunshine at the outdoor pool, with temperatures reaching 31 degrees Celsius. Xie took an early lead before Japan's Iori Miyazaki mounted a challenge from Lane 6. The Chinese swimmer produced a strong finish, touching the wall first by 0.29 seconds to add another gold to China's tally.
Xie's reaction to seeing the final result was subdued. "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 said.
Despite winning gold while ill, Xie played down his resilience. "These are just hurdles we as athletes have to overcome," he said. "I hope to improve my adaptability in the future."
Since the Dakar YOG opened on October 31, Xie began his campaign with silver in the 100m freestyle before winning gold in both the 100m and 50m breaststroke events.
Summing up his four-day campaign as "anxious, tumultuous, yet fulfilling," Xie said he felt immense pride in bringing glory to his country.
Meanwhile, Thursday's competition at the Complexe Tour de l'Oeuf featured a dead heat in the men's 50m backstroke, with Greece's Nikolaos Papatheodorou and Portugal's Miguel Reis Oliveira sharing gold in 25.69 seconds.
The pair had already developed a close friendship in Dakar, building on their podium finishes in the 100m backstroke, where Papatheodorou claimed silver and Oliveira took bronze.
"I'm very happy for this. It's perfect. I don't know what to say. I'm very happy for him and for me. It's very important that we share the gold and have two national anthems played here," said Papatheodorou.
In the women's events, the 50m backstroke podium mirrored that of the 100m, with Romania's Daria-Mariuca Silisteanu claiming the title ahead of South Korea's Kim Seung-won and Argentina's Cecilia Dieleke.
Japan's Mana Ishikawa continued her winning run with a fourth gold in the women's 50m breaststroke. Thea Obeid, one of three athletes representing Lebanon, secured silver, while Man Wui Kiu of Hong Kong, China, claimed her second bronze medal of the Games.
"I got a bit emotional on the podium just now. Representing Hong Kong here means so much," said Man. "I haven't been in my best form lately, so getting these two medals makes all those moments of self-doubt and grueling training totally worth it. It gives me the motivation to keep working hard."
The swimming competition at the Dakar YOG concludes on Friday.
China's 15-year-old Chang Mohan, who has already claimed two silver medals, could face a demanding schedule. She will first compete in the 200m freestyle heats. Should she advance, she will contest the 200m freestyle and 200m butterfly finals in succession in the afternoon. ■
Gold medalist Xie Yichen (C) of China celebrates during the awarding ceremony for the men's 50m breaststroke final at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, Nov. 5, 2026. (Xinhua/Wang Dongzhen)
Gold medalist Xie Yichen (C) of China, silver medalist Miyazaki Iori (L) of Japan and bronze medalist Maksim Mashliakevich of Belarus pose for a selfie during the awarding ceremony for the men's 50m breaststroke final at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, Nov. 5, 2026. (Xinhua/Na Yuqi)
Gold medalist Xie Yichen (C) of China, silver medalist Miyazaki Iori (L) of Japan and bronze medalist Maksim Mashliakevich of Belarus pose for a group photo during the awarding ceremony for the men's 50m breaststroke final at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, Nov. 5, 2026. (Xinhua/Na Yuqi)
Xie Yichen of China competes during the men's 50m breaststroke final at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, Nov. 5, 2026. (Xinhua/Na Yuqi)
Xie Yichen of China reacts ahead of the men's 50m breaststroke final at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, Nov. 5, 2026. (Xinhua/Na Yuqi)
Xie Yichen of China competes during the men's 50m breaststroke final at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, Nov. 5, 2026. (Xinhua/Wang Dongzhen)
Xie Yichen of China (Bottom) competes during the men's 50m breaststroke final at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, Nov. 5, 2026. (Xinhua/Wang Dongzhen)
Xie Yichen of China competes during the men's 50m breaststroke final at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, Nov. 5, 2026. (Xinhua/Na Yuqi)
