Day four of swimming at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games delivered yet another memorable session of racing, with more nations celebrating first-time podium finishes at the Games, and several of the sport's young stars adding to their medal collections, including Japan's Mana Ishikawa, who claiming her third gold medal of the Games.
Women's 50m Freestyle – Bobanović completes the sprint double
Croatia's Ana Bobanović continued her impressive form, claiming gold in the Women's 50m Freestyle in 25.45 to complete the 50m and 100m Freestyle double with her favourite event, the 200m Freestyle, still to come.
New Zealand's Alyssa Lawson secured her second silver medal, touching in 25.74 despite not producing her best start. Belarus' Palina Bialiauskaya completed the podium in 25.97, equalling her personal best.
Bobanović also had the 50m Butterfly final to contend with later in the session. Reflecting on the challenge of racing twice, she said: “I was super happy about the gold and then I had to do one more race, so I just took five minutes to be happy and then focused again.”
Men's 50m Freestyle – Prochazka leads Czech celebration
The Men's 50m Freestyle produced an exhilarating final, following four personal bests in the heats.
Czechia's Zdenek Prochazka emerged victorious in 22.54 and the achievement was made all the more special thanks to the support of his parents in the stands in Dakar.
“I'm just happy that I made my parents proud, because they're here,” he said. Looking ahead, he added: “It (the gold) means I have space to grow. It gives me motivation for the next years and maybe for the Olympic Games.”
Trinidad and Tobago's Jaden Mills claimed silver in 22.99, breaking the 23-second barrier for the first time. Cyprus' Andrew Marcus Laghoutis took bronze in 23.04, becoming his country's first-ever Youth Olympic swimming medallist.
Women's 200m Individual Medley – Ishikawa claims a third gold
Japan's Mana Ishikawa continued her winning form with the Women's 200m Individual Medley in 2:13.06 to secure her third gold medal of the Games.
“Being able to achieve three gold medals is something that makes me really happy. All of these three gold medals make me really happy,” she said.
China's 15-year-old Mohan Chang took silver in 2:13.90, while Slovakia celebrated a historic achievement as Stela Megelova claimed bronze in 2:16.38, becoming her country's first female swimming medallist at the Youth Olympic Games.
Men's 200m Individual Medley – Miyazaki bounces back for gold
Japan celebrated another victory in the Men's 200m Individual Medley, as Iori Miyazaki produced a personal best of 2:00.71 to claim his second gold medal of the Games. Having narrowly missed out on the 200m Breaststroke title, Miyazaki responded in impressive fashion.
Although not confident going into the event, Miyazaki reflected, “I managed to beat my personal best by two seconds and was absolutely delighted to win the gold medal.”
New Zealand's Ariel Muchirahondo took silver in 2:01.66 after entering the race as the favourite. With roots in Zimbabwe, he has enjoyed strong support throughout the championships. Türkiye's Kirhan Yilmaz completed the podium in 2:02.91, securing the nation's first-ever swimming medal at a Youth Olympic Games.
Women's 50m Butterfly – Fokina completes the Butterfly double
Russia's Serafima Fokina claimed her second Butterfly title, winning the 50m in 27.28 after previously taking gold in the 100m. Despite a difficult start, she recovered strongly to hold off Bobanović, who added silver in 27.33 for her second medal of the session. Fokina was delighted with the result and shared, “the secret to winning gold, to being first is to be fully prepared and be well rested.”
Victoria Fernanda Garcia Caldera of Mexico took bronze in 27.49. At just 14 years old, and more than three years younger than the champion, she finished only 0.21 seconds behind gold, marking her out as a talent to watch.
Men's 50m Butterfly – Ali makes Egyptian history
Egypt's Zain Ali completed the Butterfly double with victory in 24.06, adding the 50m title to his 100m gold. Already a four-time national champion this year, Ali became the first Egyptian swimmer to win two gold medals at a Youth Olympic Games.
Ali was ready for the challenge as he said, “Absolutely. It made me feel like I was in a good position representing myself and my country. I was ready for whatever was coming.”
Serbia's Aleksej Kalan took silver in 24.54, completing a double of Butterfly silver medals, while Cyprus' Andrew Marcus Laghoutis claimed bronze in 24.57, his second medal of the session.
With multiple champions, first-time national medallists and races decided by the smallest of margins, Day 4 once again demonstrated the extraordinary depth of emerging swimming talent at Dakar 2026.