DAKAR, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Senegal, host nation of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, claimed its first-ever Youth Olympic gold medals on Saturday as Elisabeth Diatta and Maguette Diop triumphed in beach wrestling.
In the women's 55kg final, 16-year-old Diatta defeated Japan's Reisa Kojima 5-1. Half an hour later, Diop dominated Azerbaijan's Nihad Suleymanli 4-0, scoring a three-point takedown in the men's 80kg category to complete a historic golden double for Senegal.
"I feel good. The crowd played a huge role," Diatta said after her victory. "I want to tell the Senegalese people to believe in their dreams, and to tell girls that wrestling isn't just for boys."
After securing the gold, Diop ran around the ring with the national flag, sending the searing beach into a frenzy.
"Wrestling runs through our veins," Diop said. "It's the first time we organized this kind of competition, so winning the gold medal here in Senegal with my people, I'm just so proud of myself. It was not easy at all but, at the end of the day, we did it." ■
