The swimming competition at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games came to a spectacular close after six fantastic days of racing, with Egypt's Zain Ali stealing the spotlight by completing a remarkable clean sweep of men’s Butterfly events to claim three gold medals for his country.
Chang Mohan wins twice in a remarkable final session
China’s Chang Mohan enjoyed an unforgettable final day at Dakar 2026, claiming two gold medals in the space of one session. The 15-year-old began with a spectacular finish in the women’s 200m Freestyle, touching the wall in 1:59.59 to break the two-minute barrier. Having already collected two silver medals earlier in the competition, Mohan finally secured her first gold of the Games.
She then returned to the pool straight after her first medal ceremony to compete in the women’s 200m Butterfly, producing another outstanding performance to claim her second gold of the day in 2:09.93, finishing an impressive 3.08 seconds ahead of the silver medallist.
Reflecting on the challenge of competing in two events, she said: “I told myself to just go for it in the 200m free, give it my all and secure that first. I was definitely a bit emotional after that. For the 200m Butterfly, I tried to focus and believe in my abilities.”
She added: “Today was a great challenge for me, especially after so many days of racing. I haven’t been able to stand on the top step of the podium here so far, and I really felt a burning desire to earn that gold. I really wanted it.”
In the 200m Freestyle, Croatia’s Ana Bobanović claimed silver in a national record of 2:01.17, completing an outstanding competition with two golds and two silvers across four events. India’s Dhinidhi Desinghu took bronze in 2:02.28, adding to her bronze in the 100m Freestyle. Having made history earlier in the competition as the first Indian swimmer to win a medal at the Youth Olympic Games, she finished Dakar 2026 with two medals.
In the 200m Butterfly, Brazil’s Ana Julia Amaral won silver in 2:13.01, her second medal after bronze in the 100m Butterfly. Indonesia’s Michelle Surjadi Fang claimed bronze in 2:14.10, securing Indonesia’s first swimming medal at the Youth Olympic Games. “For me, this is a start for Indonesia swimming. I hope this will lead other younger swimmers to do better than me,” she said.
Toropkin completes a golden double
Bogdan Toropkin continued his impressive campaign by winning the men’s 200m Freestyle in 1:47.78, following his earlier gold in the 100m Freestyle and a silver medal in the 400m.
Hungary’s Olivér Pápai claimed silver in 1:48.43, earning his country's first swimming medal at Dakar 2026.
Looking ahead, he said: “hopefully the next one will be the real one, not just the Youth (Olympics). This is also real, but I’ll be chasing that, and I will work for that.”
Mexico’s Daniel Saborio Grillo completed the podium in 1:49.68, securing a second bronze medal for himself and adding to a successful competition for the Mexican swimming team.
Ali makes history with a third gold in the Butterfly
The final race of the swimming competition belonged to Zain Ali, who delivered a dominant performance to win the men’s 200m Butterfly in a personal best time of 1:57.88.
The victory completed the clean sweep, with Ali winning all three Butterfly events in Dakar.
“It was absolutely my goal from the start. This was what I trained for. I set a plan to do all this stuff. I was confident from the start, 100%,” he said. Reflecting on the significance of his achievement, he added: “It’s a huge moment for me and for my country. It’s unbelievable.”
Vietnam’s Duong Van Hoang Quy claimed silver in 2:00.32, securing Vietnam’s first swimming medal and its second medal across all sports at Dakar 2026. India’s Tirthank Pegu took bronze in 2:01.25, adding to the country's historic medal success in the pool as the first male medallist in swimming from his country.