10 African Athletes to Watch at Dakar 2026 Youth Olympics

The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games will be the first Olympic sporting event held in Africa. About 2,700 athletes aged 15 to 18 will compete across Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly from 31 October to 13 November 2026.

For these young athletes, the Games offer an opportunity to build on recent national, continental and international performances while representing a broad range of African sporting talent.

The following nine selections draw on recent results, competition achievements and confirmed participation.

Read More : Nigeria’s Favour Ojo Eyes Olympic Debut

1. Joanita Borteye, Ghana — Table Tennis

At 15, Borteye is making her mark against senior opposition. At the 2026 ITTF-Africa Championships in Tangier, Morocco, she advanced to the women’s singles round of 16 after winning all three of her group matches and defeating Morocco’s Edena Prevot 4–1 in the round of 32.

She opened with a 3–0 victory over Rwanda’s Chantal Hirwa, then beat Tunisia’s Ela Saidi 3–0 and Morocco’s Nour Slamti 3–1 to progress from Group 9. Her win over Prevot secured a place in the knockout rounds at the continental senior championships, providing a significant benchmark in her development.

Borteye’s progress builds on her youth-level success. In 2026, she partnered Israel Aklie to win the under-15 mixed doubles title at the ITTF-Africa Youth Championships in Accra, ending Ghana’s 39-year wait for continental table-tennis gold. Her performance in Tangier now demonstrates her ability to compete against more experienced players as she prepares for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.

2. David Kapaiko Sekento, Kenya — Athletics

Sekento heads to Dakar with a world championship medal already on his record. At the World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon, in August 2026, the Kenyan won silver in the men’s 1,500m in a personal-best time of 3:38.32, finishing behind compatriot Wilson Chepkwech. He had also won his semifinal in 3:43.60 to qualify for the final.

The 16-year-old’s performance established him as one of Kenya’s emerging middle-distance prospects. He had run 3:41.29 at the national trials for the World U20 Championships in May before improving his personal best at the global event. His 800m best stands at 1:50.21, recorded at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi in April 2026.
Dakar will give Sekento another opportunity to test himself in international competition as he builds on a breakthrough season at junior level.

3. Ranim Ben Sliman, Tunisia — Judo

Ben Sliman has built a strong continental record in 2026. According to the International Judo Federation, she won the Dakar Cadet African Cup on 28 March and the Algiers Cadet African Cup on 23 May. She followed those victories with silver at the African Cadet Championships on 23 July.

She also finished third at the Dakar Junior African Cup in March. The results give her experience across cadet and junior-level competition, while her earlier victory in Dakar offers familiarity with the host city. She will be looking to carry that form into the Youth Olympics and add to her growing record of continental podium finishes.

4. Coura Sall, Senegal — Triathlon

Sall enters the Games with valuable experience on home territory. At the Saly Development Regional Cup in November 2025, she finished second in the women’s race, recording the fastest run split in the field over 2.9km. The competition took place at the location that will host the Dakar 2026 triathlon events.

More recently, on 18 October, she won a sprint-distance preparation race in Mbour, Senegal, ahead of compatriot Ngoné Diop. The race used the same 750m swim, 20km cycling and 5km run format planned for the Games. With local course experience and a recent victory behind her, Sall will be one of the host nation’s athletes to watch.

5. Elsabet Amare, Ethiopia — Athletics

Amare has already established herself among the leading young middle-distance runners internationally. At the World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon, in August 2026, she finished fourth in the women’s 1,500m final in 4:19.83, after winning her qualifying heat in 4:18.24.

The 17-year-old set a personal best of 4:01.32 over 1,500m in Montreuil, France, in June 2026. Her season has also included an 8:43.93 best over 3,000m and a 4:23.78 mile, highlighting her ability across several middle-distance events.

The world championship final gave Amare experience against the strongest junior field, while her season’s performances demonstrate progress across multiple distances. Dakar offers another international test as Ethiopia’s next generation of runners competes on the Youth Olympic stage.

How Senegal Is Gearing Up for Africa’s First Olympic Event (News Central TV) — The Tour de l’Œuf Olympic Swimming Pool, set to host the swimming events at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal in October 2026. Photo: Fama Ndiaye, bird story agency.

6. Bosson Greccy Hillary, Côte d’Ivoire — Athletics

Hillary is among the young sprinters representing Côte d’Ivoire at Dakar 2026, where she has also been recognised as a flag bearer for her country’s delegation. Born in April 2009, she has a recorded 100m personal best of 13.00 seconds, set in August 2025, according to World Athletics.

In October 2026, she joined fellow Ivorian athlete Yapo Sylvestre at an acclimatisation camp in Saint-Louis, Senegal, as part of preparations for the Youth Olympic Games. The programme gave the athletes time to adjust to local conditions ahead of the competition.

Dakar will give Hillary experience against international age-group opposition and a chance to measure her progress against other young sprinters. Her selection also places her among the emerging athletes carrying Côte d’Ivoire’s ambitions at a historic edition of the Youth Olympics.

7. Connor Grist, Zimbabwe — Swimming

Grist brings regional and continental competition experience to Zimbabwe’s Dakar team. At the African Swimming Championships in May 2026, the 16-year-old recorded personal-best times across several events, including 28.38 seconds in the 50m freestyle, 2:07.10 in the 200m freestyle and 4:20.16 in the 400m freestyle.

His results also include an 8:59.29 personal best in the 800m freestyle and 17:10.14 in the 1,500m freestyle at the same championships. Those times provide a baseline for assessing his development as he moves into another international competition.

Grist’s selection creates another opportunity to gain experience against a global youth field. His progress will be worth following as Zimbabwe develops its next generation of competitive swimmers.

8. Botho Losaba, South Africa — Skateboarding

Losaba will represent South Africa in men’s street skateboarding at Dakar 2026, following his selection by the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee. His inclusion brings an urban action sport into a line-up of young African athletes competing across disciplines including athletics, swimming, judo and table tennis.

Losaba has also gained experience competing in junior skateboarding circuits and travelled with South Africa’s national roller sport and skateboarding delegation for international competition in 2026. These opportunities have helped prepare him for a Games field featuring young skaters from around the world.

At Dakar, Losaba will compete in street skateboarding, a discipline built around manoeuvres on urban-style obstacles such as rails, stairs and ledges. The event offers him an international stage to demonstrate his skills and gain experience against other emerging skateboarders.

9. Oluwafunmilayo Favour Ojo, Nigeria — Table Tennis

Ojo, commonly listed in international table tennis records as Favour Ojo, is progressing from youth competitions into the senior international circuit. Born in 2010, she has represented Nigeria at continental youth championships and the WTT Contender Lagos tournament, gaining experience against established international players.

Her most recent senior breakthrough came at the WTT Contender Lagos in May 2026, where she competed in the women’s singles main draw. She faced South Korea’s Joo Cheonhui in the round of 32, losing 0–3. In July, Ojo competed at the ITTF-Africa Youth Championships in Accra, reaching the under-19 girls’ singles last 16 before losing 3–4 to Algeria’s Hana Sadi.

Ojo’s selection for Dakar 2026 puts her among the 15 African table-tennis players chosen for the Games. Her progress through Nigeria’s domestic cadet competition system and into senior international draws gives her a platform to test herself against a wider field of young global talent.

At Dakar, she will compete in the girls’ singles, with mixed doubles also among the Games’ table-tennis medal events. The competition will provide another benchmark for her development as she seeks to convert her growing international experience into stronger results.

10. Anjuman Bhardwaj, Zambia — Badminton

At 17, Anjuman Bhardwaj is building international experience for Zambia in badminton. In October 2026, she represented her country at the BWF World Junior Team Championships in Cairo.

Bhardwaj has also competed at the Uganda Junior International in Kampala and, according to reports from Zambia’s badminton community, won women’s singles gold at the All Africa School Championship in Zimbabwe. She has also claimed titles in women’s doubles and mixed doubles at the Midlands Open Championship.

Her participation in international junior and senior competitions reflects a developing career across singles and doubles. At Dakar 2026, Bhardwaj will have another opportunity to test herself against young players from around the world and gain experience on a major multisport stage.

Special Mentions

Nigeria – Medley Relays
The girls’ medley relay team of Miriam Jegede, Miracle Oluebube, Faith Ezechukwu and Jacinter Lawrence combined to win gold at the African Youth Games 2025, while the boys’ medley relay team of Gift Gowon, Emmanuel Akolo, David Udoh and Tosin Solomon Essan also secured gold. With Nigeria also winning six golds in athletics in Angola, the relays remain the most bankable African victory in Dakar._

Author

Jimisayo Opanuga

Jimisayo Opanuga is a web writer in the Digital Department at News Central TV, where she covers African and international stories. Her reporting focuses on social issues, health, justice, and the environment, alongside general-interest news. She is passionate about telling stories that inform the public and give voice to underreported communities.