Dakar 2026: African teams win 15 of the 36 athletics golds as Ethiopia top the table
Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt and Zimbabwe all struck gold on the track and field at the first Youth Olympic Games held in Africa.
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Dakar — African teams took 15 of the 36 gold medals in athletics at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, with Ethiopia finishing on top of the track and field medal table.
The athletics programme ended on Tuesday, 10 November, after three days of competition at the Complexe Iba Mar Diop in Dakar. In all, 109 medals were awarded, 22 nations won at least one gold and 50 nations reached the podium, according to the final table published by World-Track.
Ethiopia first, Kenya third
Ethiopia won five gold and three silver medals, eight in total, to finish ahead of China, which won more medals (nine) but fewer golds (three).
Kenya were third with three golds and two silvers. Nigeria, with three golds, came fourth, and South Africa fifth with two gold, two silver and two bronze, six medals in all. Egypt and Zimbabwe each added a gold, and Eritrea, Morocco, Tunisia, Uganda and Burkina Faso also won medals.
That makes Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt and Zimbabwe the six African countries with athletics champions at the first Youth Olympics held on the continent.
Kenya's medallists head home
Seven Kenyan athletes, five of them medallists, returned to Nairobi on Wednesday night, the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation reported. They included gold medallists Abigael Kosgei (2,000m steeplechase), Enock Tuitoek and Faith Rono (both 3,000m), and silver medallists Wesley Kipkech (2,000m steeplechase) and Abigael Chepkirui (1,500m). Kenya sent 51 athletes to Dakar and stood eighth in the overall medal table with four golds and two silvers.
Senegal reach ten medals
The hosts added a tenth medal on Wednesday when Ameth Diop took bronze in taekwondo. Diop lost his semi-final to Azerbaijan's Adil Kazimli after a 20-20 draw in the second round, when a step outside the fighting area cost him a two-point penalty, Senego reported. Senegal now have five golds and five bronzes.
Both Senegal beach handball teams have reached the semi-finals, the girls after beating Croatia, wiwsport reported.
The Games close on Friday, 13 November.
Source: World-Track, KBC, Senego, wiwsport, 11–12 November 2026.
