Dakar 2026: beach wrestling gives Senegal three Olympic titles
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Le Soleil
Senegalese beach wrestling won four medals, including three Olympic titles, at the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games: Élisabeth Diatta (-55 kg), Maguette Diop (-80 kg) and Ndèye Khady Anna Diatta (-45 kg) took gold, while Ablaye Faye won bronze. The results strengthen calls for greater recognition of the discipline, according to Le Soleil.
Beach wrestling won four medals for Senegal at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games (YOG), including three Olympic titles, on Saturday and Sunday at Saly Ouest beach. Élisabeth Diatta won gold in the under-55 kg category, Maguette Diop in the under-80 kg category and Ndèye Khady Anna Diatta in the under-45 kg category, while Ablaye Faye took bronze in the under-80 kg category, reports Le Soleil.
Eight Senegalese wrestlers took part in the competition and, with the exception of two of them, reached the semi-finals. Babacar Mbaye, in the under-60 kg category, and Élisabeth Ébédo Diatta, in the under-75 kg category, lost their bronze-medal bouts after being eliminated in the semi-finals. With four podium finishes, Senegal finished first in the overall wrestling standings at the Dakar 2026 YOG, according to Le Soleil.
The president of the Senegalese Wrestling Federation, Bira Sène, attributed the results to the athletes' preparation and recalled the importance of wrestling to Senegal. The haul came after Élisabeth Diatta’s title was announced on 7 November in beach wrestling at the YOG, followed by Senegal’s two golds and bronze on 8 November in the YOG wrestling events.
