Egypt's 100m butterfly champion qualifies fastest by more than half a second, South Africa's Eric Kotze reaches both the 50m freestyle and 50m butterfly finals, Kenya's Jeremy Rieck books another butterfly final, and Nigeria's K.E. Obatoyinbo heads to a swim-off, as 65 African swimmers from 36 nations race on day four
DAKAR, Senegal, Wednesday 4 November 2026 – Zain Ali's gold medal in the 100m butterfly on Sunday was no one-off. The Egyptian returned to the pool on day four at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games and topped the men's 50m butterfly heats in 24.00, 0.67 seconds clear of the next-fastest qualifier, Cyprus's Andrew Marcus Laghoutis (24.67).
South Africa's Eric Kotze, 16, was the morning's breakout name. He qualified fifth for both the men's 50m freestyle final (23.54) and the men's 50m butterfly final (24.86), making him the only African swimmer through to two finals today.
Kenya's Jeremy Rieck joined them in the 50m butterfly final, and Nigeria's K.E. Obatoyinbo tied for eighth in the 50m freestyle and now faces a swim-off for the last place in the final.
It was also the biggest African morning of the Games so far. Sixty-five African swimmers from 36 nations raced across the six events at the Complexe Tour de l'Oeuf, with Botswana, Burkina Faso, Congo, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and Niger appearing for the first time in our Dakar coverage.
Ali: Fastest by a Distance
Ali swam in the sixth and final heat of the men's 50m butterfly and won it from lane four. In an event usually decided by hundredths, his 24.00 left a gap of 0.67 seconds to the second qualifier and 0.72 to Serbia's Aleksej Kalanj, who took silver behind him in the 100m butterfly. He goes into this afternoon's final as the man to beat.
Kotze: Two Events, Two Finals
Kotze swam two very different races and got the same result in both. In the 50m freestyle he was second in heat six in 23.54 and fifth overall, 0.89 behind Czech top qualifier Zdenek Prochazka (22.65). In the 50m butterfly he was second in heat five behind Laghoutis in 24.86, again fifth overall.
Rieck Adds Another Final
Kenya's Jeremy Rieck, sixth in Sunday's 100m butterfly final and first reserve in Tuesday's 100m backstroke, qualified sixth in the 50m butterfly in 25.05, finishing third in the same heat as Kotze. It is his second final of the Games.
Madagascar's Tendry Rakotobe just missed out, tenth in 25.62 and only 0.28 outside the final. Namibia's Nathan Bock (12th, 25.66), Nigeria's Aidan Dumuje-Abili (15th, 26.05, with a 0.60 reaction, joint-second-fastest in the field) and Zambia's Joshua Mulenga (16th, 26.06) also finished inside the top 16. Gabon's Ozavino Ngaka won the first heat in 31.50.
In all, 22 African swimmers from 22 nations raced the men's 50m butterfly. Rwanda's Ntwali Jayden, 14, was the youngest swimmer in the field.
Obatoyinbo's Swim-Off, Torki in Reserve
The men's 50m freestyle produced the tightest finish of the morning. Nigeria's K.E. Obatoyinbo, 16, finished second in heat five in 23.67, exactly the same time as the Bahamas' Christon Joseph. The two are tied for eighth and will swim off for the final place.
Algeria's Salaheddine Torki, a finalist in both the 100m butterfly and 100m freestyle, was tenth in 23.89, 0.22 outside the tie, and is listed as reserve. Zambia's Joshua Mulenga was just 0.02 behind him in 11th (23.91), and Ghana's Kelvin Abdallah was 13th in 24.21.
Burkina Faso's Alexandre Irfaan Bamba had the fastest reaction of all 55 swimmers (0.55). Tanzania's Zack Okumu won heat two in 26.40, and Rwanda's Ntwali Jayden was again the youngest in the field. Twenty-five African swimmers from 24 nations raced the event.
Women's 50m Freestyle: Johnsen Leads 21 Nations
Zimbabwe's Alexis Johnsen was the fastest African in the women's 50m freestyle for the second sprint in a row, 12th in 26.98 and 0.33 outside the final. Behind her, Nigeria's Kristabel Chisa Oldeide (16th, 27.38), Cabo Verde's Kayra Tati (18th, 27.48) and Botswana's Melodi Saleshando (19th, 27.63) all finished inside the top 20.
Senegal's 14-year-old Marta Alodia Biagini won heat five in 27.70 for 21st overall, and Ghana's Jada Yankey, also 14, was 23rd in 27.87. Guinea's Fatoumata Diaraye Bah and Benin's Etoile Agbodjogbe also won their heats.
With 21 swimmers from 21 nations in a field of 68, it was Africa's broadest representation in a single women's event so far.
Women's 50m Butterfly: Matyayi the Fastest African
Namibia's Roselinda Matyayi was 15th in 29.32, the fastest of 15 African swimmers from 15 nations. Tunisia's Ilef Omri (17th, 29.65), Senegal's Seyni Fagueye Ndiaye (20th, 29.90) and Botswana's Melodi Saleshando (21st, 29.95) all broke 30 seconds. Mozambique's Angela Chicumbe and Ghana's Jada Yankey, both 14, finished 24th and 25th, separated by only 0.04.
200m Individual Medley: Three African Reserves
The medley events had small fields of 13, and three African swimmers finished immediately behind the eight finalists. In the women's 200m IM, Kenya's Macrine Kalombo (2:35.23) and Uganda's Zara Marie Mbanga (2:35.56), the youngest swimmer in the event, were ninth and tenth and are the two reserves. Tanzania's Filbertha Demello (12th, 2:51.65) and Côte d'Ivoire's Malika Erina Aidy Camara (13th, 3:06.70, with the second-fastest reaction in the field) completed the African entries.
In the men's 200m IM, Zambia's Mulenga Cole, already a 400m freestyle and 100m butterfly swimmer at these Games, was tenth in 2:17.87, just 0.22 behind first reserve Reynard Delian Purwanto of Indonesia, and is second reserve.
Looking Ahead to the Afternoon Finals
Ali and Kotze in the men's 50m butterfly, Kotze in the men's 50m freestyle, Rieck in the 50m butterfly, and possibly Obatoyinbo after his swim-off: Africa has at least four finals swims this afternoon, with the continent's medal tally standing at four. The swimming programme at Dakar 2026 continues at the Complexe Tour de l'Oeuf.
Results: African Swimmers – Day 4 Heats
African Finalists, Swim-Off and Reserves
| Event | Swimmer | NOC | Heats Rank | Time | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's 50m Butterfly | Zain ALI | EGY | 1 | 24.00 | Final |
| Men's 50m Butterfly | Eric KOTZE | RSA | 5 | 24.86 | Final |
| Men's 50m Butterfly | Jeremy RIECK | KEN | 6 | 25.05 | Final |
| Men's 50m Freestyle | Eric KOTZE | RSA | 5 | 23.54 | Final |
| Men's 50m Freestyle | K.E. OBATOYINBO | NGR | 8= | 23.67 | Swim-off |
| Men's 50m Freestyle | Salaheddine TORKI | ALG | 10 | 23.89 | Reserve |
| Women's 200m IM | Macrine KALOMBO | KEN | 9 | 2:35.23 | Reserve 1 |
| Women's 200m IM | Zara Marie MBANGA | UGA | 10 | 2:35.56 | Reserve 2 |
| Men's 200m IM | Mulenga COLE | ZAM | 10 | 2:17.87 | Reserve 2 |
Women's 50m Freestyle – Heats (Field: 68; Final Cut-Off 26.65)
| Rank | Swimmer | NOC | Age | Heat (Lane) | R.T. | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Alexis JOHNSEN | ZIM | 16 | 9 (2) | 0.65 | 26.98 |
| 16 | Kristabel Chisa OLDEIDE | NGR | 15 | 8 (1) | 0.67 | 27.38 |
| 18 | Kayra TATI | CPV | 17 | 7 (6) | 0.69 | 27.48 |
| 19 | Melodi SALESHANDO | BOT | 17 | 9 (7) | 0.63 | 27.63 |
| 21 | Marta Alodia BIAGINI | SEN | 14 | 5 (3) | 0.63 | 27.70 |
| 23 | Jada YANKEY | GHA | 14 | 6 (5) | 0.66 | 27.87 |
| 32 | Angela CHICUMBE | MOZ | 14 | 6 (1) | 0.70 | 28.30 |
| 33 | Isabelle MWANGI | KEN | 16 | 5 (4) | 0.65 | 28.39 |
| 39 | Dorianne BRISTOL | SEY | 17 | 6 (7) | 0.60 | 28.74 |
| 41 | Maria PARIMBELLI | ANG | 15 | 4 (3) | 0.70 | 29.04 |
| 48 | Lois Eliora IRISHURA | BDI | 16 | 5 (6) | 0.71 | 29.51 |
| 49 | Sibongile MITI | ZAM | 16 | 4 (8) | 0.67 | 29.63 |
| 52 | Aragsan MUGABO | RWA | 15 | 3 (2) | 0.79 | 29.94 |
| 55 | Fatoumata Diaraye BAH | GUI | 15 | 2 (3) | 0.69 | 30.56 |
| 59 | Danielle KANJADZA | MAW | 15 | 2 (5) | 0.67 | 32.09 |
| 60 | Samrawit Demilie AKELE | ETH | 16 | 2 (4) | 0.75 | 32.11 |
| 62 | Ceylia DJEUTCHA | CMR | 17 | 3 (7) | 0.71 | 32.42 |
| 63 | Axelle TCHATAT | CGO | 15 | 2 (6) | 0.76 | 34.35 |
| 65 | Etoile AGBODJOGBE | BEN | 16 | 1 (4) | 0.83 | 36.12 |
| 66 | S.R.W. GUIGMA | BUR | 16 | 1 (5) | 0.78 | 36.14 |
| 68 | Fatou D SABALLY | GAM | 15 | 1 (6) | 0.78 | 43.25 |
Men's 50m Freestyle – Heats (Field: 55; Swim-Off for 8th at 23.67)
| Rank | Swimmer | NOC | Age | Heat (Lane) | R.T. | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Q | Eric KOTZE | RSA | 16 | 6 (4) | 0.62 | 23.54 |
| 8= SO | K.E. OBATOYINBO | NGR | 16 | 5 (4) | 0.67 | 23.67 |
| 10 R | Salaheddine TORKI | ALG | 16 | 6 (6) | 0.61 | 23.89 |
| 11 | Joshua MULENGA | ZAM | 17 | 6 (3) | 0.62 | 23.91 |
| 13 | Kelvin ABDALLAH | GHA | 16 | 7 (1) | 0.63 | 24.21 |
| 21 | Peterson INHENSIKO | UGA | 17 | 4 (7) | 0.63 | 24.73 |
| 25 | Santiago GUIMARAES | ANG | 16 | 6 (7) | 0.59 | 25.01 |
| 28 | Shalom TEVOEDJRE | BEN | 17 | 4 (2) | 0.70 | 25.15 |
| 30 | Austin OKORE | TAN | 17 | 5 (8) | 0.64 | 25.33 |
| 33 | Neo OLENGO | KEN | 16 | 3 (2) | 0.61 | 25.59 |
| 34 | Lazaro MENETE | MOZ | 17 | 4 (3) | 0.73 | 25.61 |
| 35 | Tema MODIRELABANGWE | BOT | 16 | 3 (6) | 0.62 | 25.71 |
| 39 | Nasri JEAN BAPTISTE | SEY | 15 | 3 (7) | 0.71 | 26.36 |
| 40 | Zack OKUMU | TAN | 15 | 2 (5) | 0.70 | 26.40 |
| 41 | Myles GONCALVES | CPV | 16 | 3 (1) | 0.66 | 26.45 |
| 42 | Jehu MATONDO BOSANGE ZOZO | COD | 17 | 2 (4) | 0.75 | 26.58 |
| 43 | Ntwali JAYDEN | RWA | 14 | 2 (1) | 0.69 | 27.15 |
| 44 | Dagim Kiros HABTE | ETH | 16 | 2 (3) | 0.73 | 27.17 |
| 47 | Abba M. MAMANE HAMISSOU | NIG | 17 | 2 (8) | 0.78 | 28.55 |
| 48 | Younoussa MAIGA | MLI | 16 | 2 (7) | 0.72 | 28.60 |
| 49 | Ozavino NGAKA | GAB | 15 | 1 (5) | 0.68 | 28.77 |
| 50 | Alexandre Irfaan BAMBA | BUR | 17 | 1 (6) | 0.55 | 29.20 |
| 51 | Ariel Hakim NKURUNZIZA | BDI | 17 | 1 (4) | 0.75 | 29.21 |
| 54 | Djani CA | GBS | 16 | 1 (7) | 0.76 | 30.52 |
| 55 | Peter BEWIE | SLE | 17 | 1 (2) | 0.59 | 30.63 |
Women's 50m Butterfly – Heats (Field: 40)
| Rank | Swimmer | NOC | Age | Heat (Lane) | R.T. | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Roselinda MATYAYI | NAM | 16 | 3 (2) | 0.73 | 29.32 |
| 17 | Ilef OMRI | TUN | 16 | 3 (8) | 0.62 | 29.65 |
| 20 | Seyni Fagueye NDIAYE | SEN | 16 | 3 (1) | 0.73 | 29.90 |
| 21 | Melodi SALESHANDO | BOT | 17 | 4 (7) | 0.66 | 29.95 |
| 22 | O.T. AKINSANMI | NGR | 16 | 4 (8) | 0.63 | 30.47 |
| 24 | Angela CHICUMBE | MOZ | 14 | 2 (6) | 0.70 | 30.92 |
| 25 | Jada YANKEY | GHA | 14 | 2 (4) | 0.68 | 30.96 |
| 26 | Filbertha DEMELLO | TAN | 17 | 5 (8) | 0.87 | 31.03 |
| 29 | Kayra TATI | CPV | 17 | 4 (1) | 0.72 | 31.20 |
| 31 | Dorianne BRISTOL | SEY | 17 | 2 (5) | 0.64 | 31.76 |
| 36 | Fatoumata Diaraye BAH | GUI | 15 | 1 (7) | 0.69 | 34.42 |
| 37 | Kalisa KEZA | RWA | 15 | 1 (8) | 0.83 | 36.11 |
| 38 | Samrawit Demilie AKELE | ETH | 16 | 1 (2) | 0.77 | 36.29 |
| 39 | Danielle KANJADZA | MAW | 15 | 1 (1) | 0.77 | 38.34 |
| 40 | Axelle TCHATAT | CGO | 15 | 1 (6) | 0.78 | 39.06 |
Men's 50m Butterfly – Heats (Field: 42; Final Cut-Off 25.34)
| Rank | Swimmer | NOC | Age | Heat (Lane) | R.T. | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Q | Zain ALI | EGY | 17 | 6 (4) | 0.66 | 24.00 |
| 5 Q | Eric KOTZE | RSA | 16 | 5 (4) | 0.64 | 24.86 |
| 6 Q | Jeremy RIECK | KEN | 16 | 5 (3) | 0.67 | 25.05 |
| 10 | Tendry RAKOTOBE | MAD | 17 | 4 (5) | 0.60 | 25.62 |
| 12 | Nathan BOCK | NAM | 17 | 4 (6) | 0.65 | 25.66 |
| 15 | Aidan DUMUJE-ABILI | NGR | 15 | 6 (2) | 0.60 | 26.05 |
| 16 | Joshua MULENGA | ZAM | 17 | 6 (7) | 0.63 | 26.06 |
| 25 | Santiago GUIMARAES | ANG | 16 | 3 (5) | 0.60 | 26.87 |
| 26 | Tasunje MKAVEA | MAW | 16 | 5 (8) | 0.64 | 27.01 |
| 27 | Peterson INHENSIKO | UGA | 17 | 3 (6) | 0.66 | 27.33 |
| 28 | Matteo Leon BIAGINI | SEN | 17 | 4 (8) | 0.64 | 27.39 |
| 29 | Tema MODIRELABANGWE | BOT | 16 | 3 (3) | 0.63 | 27.45 |
| 30 | Austin OKORE | TAN | 17 | 3 (2) | 0.62 | 27.70 |
| 32 | K.M. NKOMAZANA | ZIM | 16 | 3 (1) | 0.64 | 28.28 |
| 33 | Ntwali JAYDEN | RWA | 14 | 2 (6) | 0.71 | 28.66 |
| 34 | Jehu MATONDO BOSANGE ZOZO | COD | 17 | 2 (3) | 0.72 | 28.89 |
| 35 | Jerry YOSSA | CMR | 14 | 2 (1) | 0.74 | 29.00 |
| 36 | Myles GONCALVES | CPV | 16 | 2 (5) | 0.76 | 29.53 |
| 37 | Younoussa MAIGA | MLI | 16 | 2 (2) | 0.80 | 30.21 |
| 38 | Ozavino NGAKA | GAB | 15 | 1 (5) | 0.71 | 31.50 |
| 39 | Ariel Hakim NKURUNZIZA | BDI | 17 | 2 (8) | 0.82 | 32.58 |
| 41 | Abba M. MAMANE HAMISSOU | NIG | 17 | 2 (7) | 0.76 | 33.52 |
| DNS | Djani CA | GBS | 16 | 1 (6) | – | DNS |
Women's 200m Individual Medley – Heats (Field: 13; Final Cut-Off 2:29.50)
| Rank | Swimmer | NOC | Age | Heat (Lane) | 50m | 100m | 150m | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 R | Macrine KALOMBO | KEN | 16 | 2 (7) | 31.21 | 1:13.11 | 1:58.65 | 2:35.23 |
| 10 R | Zara Marie MBANGA | UGA | 15 | 1 (2) | 32.42 | 1:14.63 | 1:58.81 | 2:35.56 |
| 12 | Filbertha DEMELLO | TAN | 17 | 1 (7) | 34.17 | 1:16.77 | 2:12.06 | 2:51.65 |
| 13 | Malika Erina Aidy CAMARA | CIV | 16 | 2 (1) | 37.22 | 1:24.43 | 2:22.18 | 3:06.70 |
Men's 200m Individual Medley – Heats (Field: 13; Final Cut-Off 2:15.04)
| Rank | Swimmer | NOC | Age | Heat (Lane) | 50m | 100m | 150m | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 R | Mulenga COLE | ZAM | 17 | 1 (7) | 27.92 | 1:02.51 | 1:46.62 | 2:17.87 |
| DSQ | Dagim Kiros HABTE | ETH | 16 | 1 (8) | – | – | – | DSQ |
Session Participation
| Event | African Swimmers | Field | African Finalists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women's 50m Freestyle | 21 | 68 | 0 |
| Men's 50m Freestyle | 25 | 55 | 1 (plus 1 swim-off) |
| Women's 50m Butterfly | 15 | 40 | 0 |
| Men's 50m Butterfly | 22 | 42 | 3 |
| Women's 200m IM | 4 | 13 | 0 |
| Men's 200m IM | 1 | 13 | 0 |
| Total (swims) | 88 | 231 | 4 (plus 1 swim-off) |
65 individual African swimmers from 36 nations: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, DR Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
African Swimming Medal Tracker – Dakar 2026 (Cumulative)
| Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Egypt | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| South Africa | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Africa Total | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
No medals were decided in the heats. Ages as at 4 November 2026, from dates of birth on the results.
Sources: Official Results Summaries, Events 17–22, Heats, Dakar 2026 (Wednesday 4 November 2026).
Copyright: Handout image supplied by OIS/IOC. Olympic Information Services OIS.
Credit: OIS/Joel Marklund
Creator: Joel Marklund for OIS/IOC
