South Africa’s young athletes have achieved their best-ever result at the Youth Olympic Games, finishing the Dakar 2026 competition with 11 medals, including three gold, five silver and three bronze.
The final two medals came on November 10, when Megan Nieman won gold in the women’s 400m hurdles and Milan Blignaut secured silver in the women’s high jump, bringing South Africa’s total to a new national record, Team South Africa reported.
One of the standout performances came from 17-year-old high jumper Matao le Roux, who claimed gold on November 9 with a clearance of 2.16 metres. The athlete from Caledon secured victory over China’s Sen Liu after clearing the winning height on his first attempt.
Le Roux became South Africa’s second gold medallist at the Games, following rower Callum Dreyer, who won the men’s coastal beach sprint competition. Dreyer secured his title on November 3, marking another successful appearance for the country in a discipline making its Youth Olympic debut.
South Africa’s silver medals also came from swimming, athletics and rugby sevens. Leah Markgraaff finished second in the women’s 400m freestyle, while Chanel Veldsman took silver in the 100m breaststroke and bronze in the 200m breaststroke. John-Pierre Theron won silver in the men’s hammer throw, and the South African men’s rugby sevens team also reached the podium.
The remaining bronze medals went to Darius Botha in the men’s shot put and Enrique Bosch in the 110m hurdles.
Before Dakar 2026, South Africa’s best result at the Youth Olympic Games was nine medals at the inaugural edition in Singapore in 2010. The country won five medals in Buenos Aires in 2018 and one in Nanjing in 2014, the Daily Maverick said
The 11-medal achievement marks a new milestone for South Africa’s youth sports programme, with the Dakar competition providing a platform for emerging athletes to gain international experience and establish themselves on the global sporting stage.
