South Africa's Chanel Veldsman wins bronze in the women's 200m breaststroke, Algeria's Rahma Benmahammed climbs from eighth seed to fifth and Tunisia's Ilef Omri finishes sixth, while Salaheddine Torki and Mohamed Taj Eddine Larhlimi complete a day of five African finalists
DAKAR, Senegal, Monday 2 November 2026 – Chanel Veldsman went into the women's 200m breaststroke final as the third-fastest qualifier, and she came out of it with a medal. The 17-year-old South African swam 2:30.87 to win bronze at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, taking almost two and a half seconds off her morning time.
It was South Africa's second medal in the pool, after Leah Markgraaff's 400m freestyle silver, and Africa's first swimming bronze of the Games. The continent now has three swimming medals: a gold, a silver and a bronze.
Veldsman was not alone in that final. Algeria's Rahma Benmahammed and Tunisia's Ilef Omri finished fifth and sixth, giving Africa three of the top six places in one of the afternoon's most competitive races at the Complexe Tour de l'Oeuf.
Veldsman Turns Third Seed Into Bronze
From lane three, Veldsman went out fast. She turned second in 33.92, ahead of China's Chang Mohan (33.99) and behind only Japan's Ishikawa Mana (33.22). Chang moved past her on the second length, and from 100m (1:12.09) to the finish Veldsman held third.
The South African reached 150m in 1:51.22, almost two seconds clear of Austria's Lilli Paier, and finished in 2:30.87, 2.94 seconds ahead of fourth. Ishikawa won gold in 2:26.50 and Chang silver in 2:27.21.
Her final time was 2.49 seconds faster than her heats swim of 2:33.36.
Benmahammed Climbs All The Way From Lane Eight
If Veldsman's swim was about control, Rahma Benmahammed's was about steady climbing. The 16-year-old Algerian qualified eighth and swam from the outside lane. She was seventh at 50m (37.74), sixth at 100m (1:19.51), fifth at 150m (2:01.59) and fifth at the finish in 2:44.23.
That was 3.92 seconds faster than her morning time, the second-biggest improvement in the final after silver medallist Chang, and it took her three places higher than she had qualified.
Omri Holds Off The Chase
Tunisia's Ilef Omri, 16, was fifth at 50m and 100m and was overtaken by Benmahammed on the third length. But with Riannah Chantelle Coleman of the Philippines close behind, Omri found a final 50m of 42.63, a full second faster than her third length (43.69), and held sixth in 2:45.24, 0.46 ahead of Coleman. She also bettered her heats time by 0.39 seconds.
All three African finalists swam faster in the final than in the heats.
Torki: A Second Final In Two Days
Salaheddine Torki came into the men's 100m freestyle final as the fifth qualifier and the fastest swimmer to the turn in the heats. Swimming from lane two, the 16-year-old Algerian turned fourth in 24.21, ahead of eventual bronze medallist Lee Han of Chinese Taipei (24.29). The second 50m was harder against a fast-finishing field, and he touched eighth in 51.45. Bogdan Toropkin won in 49.66.
It was Torki's second Olympic final in two days, after the men's 100m butterfly on Sunday, and Algeria's only finalist in either event.
Larhlimi Completes The Set
Morocco's Mohamed Taj Eddine Larhlimi, 17, took the last place in the men's 200m breaststroke final and was seventh at halfway in 1:06.80, ahead of Mongolia's Enkhmend Enkhmend. The second half was tougher, and he finished eighth in 2:30.27. Japan's Miyazaki Iori won gold in 2:12.33.
The Continental Picture
After two days in the pool, Africa has a medal of every colour: gold for Egypt's Zain Ali, silver for South Africa's Leah Markgraaff and bronze for South Africa's Chanel Veldsman. Five African swimmers from four nations raced in this afternoon's finals, and three of them swam faster than they had in the morning. The swimming programme at Dakar 2026 continues at the Complexe Tour de l'Oeuf.
Results: African Finalists – Day 2 Finals
Women's 200m Breaststroke – Final
| Place | Swimmer | NOC | Lane | 50m | 100m | 150m | Final | Heats | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 (Bronze) | Chanel VELDSMAN | RSA | 3 | 33.92 | 1:12.09 | 1:51.22 | 2:30.87 | 2:33.36 | -2.49 |
| 5 | Rahma BENMAHAMMED | ALG | 8 | 37.74 | 1:19.51 | 2:01.59 | 2:44.23 | 2:48.15 | -3.92 |
| 6 | Ilef OMRI | TUN | 2 | 36.43 | 1:18.92 | 2:02.61 | 2:45.24 | 2:45.63 | -0.39 |
Podium: 1. ISHIKAWA Mana (JPN) 2:26.50; 2. CHANG Mohan (CHN) 2:27.21; 3. Chanel VELDSMAN (RSA) 2:30.87
Men's 100m Freestyle – Final
| Place | Swimmer | NOC | Lane | R.T. | 50m | Final | Heats | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Salaheddine TORKI | ALG | 2 | 0.62 | 24.21 | 51.45 | 51.20 | +0.25 |
Podium: 1. Bogdan TOROPKIN (RUS) 49.66; 2. XIE Yichen (CHN) 50.18; 3. LEE Han (TPE) 50.26
Men's 200m Breaststroke – Final
| Place | Swimmer | NOC | Lane | 50m | 100m | 150m | Final | Heats | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Mohamed Taj Eddine LARHLIMI | MAR | 8 | 31.50 | 1:06.80 | 1:47.03 | 2:30.27 | 2:25.07 | +5.20 |
Podium: 1. MIYAZAKI Iori (JPN) 2:12.33; 2. Domas VILIMAS (LTU) 2:13.50; 3. Muhammadismail RAHMONOV (UZB) 2:15.79
African Swimming Medal Tracker – Dakar 2026 (Cumulative)
| Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Egypt | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| South Africa | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Africa Total | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
African Medallists So Far
| Medal | Swimmer | NOC | Event | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | Zain ALI | EGY | Men's 100m Butterfly | 52.16 |
| Silver | Leah MARKGRAAFF | RSA | Women's 400m Freestyle | 4:26.13 |
| Bronze | Chanel VELDSMAN | RSA | Women's 200m Breaststroke | 2:30.87 |
Sources: Official Results, Events 8–10, Finals, Dakar 2026 (Monday 2 November 2026, reports v1.0, 15:11–15:48).
Photo credit: Handout image supplied by OIS/IOC. Olympic Information Services OIS.OIS/Remi Vallat
