Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games Day 5 Recap!

Day 5 of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games delivered unmatched elite drama in the pool, key racket tournament deciders, and massive moves on the leaderboard! As the historic multi-sport event across Senegal speeds forward, global athletic stars continue to shatter milestones and lock in their places on the podium.

Day 5 Highlights: Four for Ishikawa, Racket Showdowns & Breaststroke Battles

Day 5 (Thursday, November 5) featured high-stakes finales and sensational pool consistency. Over at the Tour de l'Œuf Complex, Japan's swimming phenom Mana Ishikawa put on an absolute masterclass by securing her fourth swimming gold of the Games, locking down the women's 100m breaststroke with a stunning time of 1:08.81. South Africa's Chanel Veldsman fought hard to touch the wall at 1:09.48, grabbing her second individual medal of the week with an emotional silver.

The pool continued to sizzle with a historic dead heat for gold in the men's 50m backstroke, while China's Xie Yichen dominated the field to capture the men's 50m breaststroke gold. Romania's Daria-Mariuca Silisteanu also stole the show by breaking the elusive 28-second barrier to storm home with a spectacular backstroke gold.

Meanwhile, at the Dakar Arena in Diamniadio, the high-flying badminton tournament concluded its final sessions, featuring an intense comeback performance by China's Hong Tian Yue to capture a hard-fought bronze medal.

Day 5 Gold Medalists

• Swimming, Women's 100m Breaststroke: Mana Ishikawa (Japan)
• Swimming, Men's 50m Breaststroke: Xie Yichen (China)
• Swimming, Women's Backstroke: Daria-Mariuca Silisteanu (Romania)
• Swimming, Men's 50m Backstroke: An incredible dead-heat gold medal tie

THE DAKAR 2026 LEADERBOARD: OFFICIAL MEDAL COUNT

Updated through Day 5 (Thursday, November 5).

• 1. Japan (JPN) — 9 total medals | 6 gold | 1 silver | 2 bronze. Highlight: Dominating the swimming events at the Tour de l'Œuf Complex, led by Mana Ishikawa's golden haul.
• 2. China (CHN) — 8 total medals | 4 gold | 3 silver | 1 bronze. Highlight: Strong multi-sport showcases featuring standouts in Coastal Rowing Beach Sprints, Wushu, and Badminton.
• 3. Russia (AIN) — 5 total medals | 3 gold | 2 silver | 0 bronze. Highlight: Delivering consistent swimming victories led by Bogdan Toropkin.
• 4. Egypt (EGY) — 4 total medals | 3 gold | 0 silver | 1 bronze. Highlight: Sondos Sonbol striking gold in the historic debut of the women's changquan combined event.
• 5. Croatia (CRO) — 5 total medals | 2 gold | 3 silver | 0 bronze. Highlight: Ana Bobanović maintaining blistering sprint speeds in the freestyle pools.
• 5. New Zealand (NZL) — 5 total medals | 2 gold | 3 silver | 0 bronze. Highlight: Making massive waves across early-stage aquatic and timing events.
• 7. South Africa (RSA) — 5 total medals | 1 gold | 3 silver | 1 bronze. Highlight: Chanel Veldsman securing an emotional breaststroke silver to reach a team milestone.
• 8. Germany (GER) — 4 total medals | 1 gold | 2 silver | 1 bronze. Highlight: Clinching hard-fought combat platform podium finishes and beach volleyball silver.
• 9. Austria (AUT) — 3 total medals | 1 gold | 1 silver | 1 bronze. Highlight: Paul Hohenauer and Martin Poinstingl winning an incredible, unbeaten gold in men's beach volleyball.
• 9. Hong Kong (HKG) — 3 total medals | 1 gold | 1 silver | 1 bronze. Highlight: Poon Hao Ran capturing the gold medal in the men's taijiquan combined final.
• 9. Lithuania (LTU) — 3 total medals | 1 gold | 1 silver | 1 bronze.
• 12. Netherlands (NED) — 2 total medals | 1 gold | 1 silver | 0 bronze.
• 12. Romania (ROU) — 2 total medals | 1 gold | 1 silver | 0 bronze. Highlight: Daria-Mariuca Silisteanu capturing the nation's historic first swimming gold in the 100m backstroke.
• 14. Argentina (ARG) — 4 total medals | 1 gold | 0 silver | 3 bronze. Highlight: Opening up the early days of the competition with exceptional judo and freestyle swims.
• 15. Brazil (BRA) — 2 total medals | 1 gold | 0 silver | 1 bronze.
• 15. France (FRA) — 2 total medals | 1 gold | 0 silver | 1 bronze. Highlight: Clinching the highly-coveted Rugby Sevens tournament title.
• 15. Turkey (TUR) — 2 total medals | 1 gold | 0 silver | 1 bronze.
• 18. Azerbaijan (AZE) — 1 total medal | 1 gold | 0 silver | 0 bronze.
• 18. Cuba (CUB) — 1 total medal | 1 gold | 0 silver | 0 bronze. Highlight: Securing the historic first-ever Olympic gold medal in the debut Baseball5 tournament.
• 18. Czech Republic (CZE) — 1 total medal | 1 gold | 0 silver | 0 bronze. Highlight: Zdenek Prochazka claiming gold in the high-stakes men's 50m freestyle sprint.
• 18. Ecuador (ECU) — 1 total medal | 1 gold | 0 silver | 0 bronze. Highlight: Elvira Espinosa claiming the first gold medal of the Games in the women's 400m freestyle.
• 18. Kazakhstan (KAZ) — 1 total medal | 1 gold | 0 silver | 0 bronze.
• 18. Kenya (KEN) — 1 total medal | 1 gold | 0 silver | 0 bronze. Highlight: An epic golden-point extra time victory to claim a dramatic gold medal over Australia.
• 18. Saudi Arabia (KSA) — 1 total medal | 1 gold | 0 silver | 0 bronze. Highlight: Rami Bilal A Alrahmouni capturing a historic first-ever Youth Olympic swimming medal in the 400m freestyle.
• 18. Singapore (SGP) — 1 total medal | 1 gold | 0 silver | 0 bronze. Highlight: Ng Zhe Nin capturing the coveted title in the women's taijiquan combined event.
• 18. Slovenia (SLO) — 1 total medal | 1 gold | 0 silver | 0 bronze.
• 18. Ukraine (UKR) — 1 total medal | 1 gold | 0 silver | 0 bronze.
• 18. United States (USA) — 1 total medal | 1 gold | 0 silver | 0 bronze.
• 29. Chinese Taipei (TPE) — 4 total medals | 0 gold | 2 silver | 2 bronze. Highlight: Historic medal breakthroughs in the pool alongside a silver in Baseball5.
• 30. Greece (GRE) — 3 total medals | 0 gold | 2 silver | 1 bronze.
• 31. India (IND) — 3 total medals | 0 gold | 1 silver | 2 bronze. Highlight: Celebrating unprecedented Youth Olympic breakthroughs in both swimming and wushu.
• 32. Australia (AUS) — 2 total medals | 0 gold | 1 silver | 1 bronze. Highlight: Landing a dramatic silver finish on the pitch and a stellar beach volleyball bronze.
• 32. Canada (CAN) — 2 total medals | 0 gold | 1 silver | 1 bronze.
• 32. Indonesia (INA) — 2 total medals | 0 gold | 1 silver | 1 bronze. Highlight: Asael Christo Jacob Rondonuwu capturing a silver in the changquan routine.
• 32. Iran (IRI) — 2 total medals | 0 gold | 1 silver | 1 bronze.
• 32. Spain (ESP) — 2 total medals | 0 gold | 1 silver | 1 bronze.
• 32. Venezuela (VEN) — 2 total medals | 0 gold | 1 silver | 1 bronze.
• 32. Vietnam (VIE) — 2 total medals | 0 gold | 1 silver | 1 bronze.
• 39. Jordan (JOR) — 1 total medal | 0 gold | 1 silver | 0 bronze.
• 39. Serbia (SRB) — 1 total medal | 0 gold | 1 silver | 0 bronze.
• 39. Uzbekistan (UZB) — 1 total medal | 0 gold | 1 silver | 0 bronze.
• 42. Madagascar (MAD) — 1 total medal | 0 gold | 0 silver | 1 bronze. Highlight: Celebrating the nation's first-ever Olympic medal at any level with a historic bronze victory over Czechia.
• 42. Burundi (BDI) — 1 total medal | 0 gold | 0 silver | 1 bronze. Highlight: Don de Dieu Igiraneza delivering a stirring victory to capture judo bronze.
• 42. Cyprus (CYP) — 1 total medal | 0 gold | 0 silver | 1 bronze.
• 42. Mexico (MEX) — 1 total medal | 0 gold | 0 silver | 1 bronze. Highlight: Isaac Jacob Rodriguez leading the tournament stats to carry the team to Baseball5 bronze.
• 42. Switzerland (SUI) — 1 total medal | 0 gold | 0 silver | 1 bronze.
• 42. Tajikistan (TJK) — 1 total medal | 0 gold | 0 silver | 1 bronze.
• 42. Trinidad and Tobago (TTO) — 1 total medal | 0 gold | 0 silver | 1 bronze.

The Red Card Campaign

Alongside the Games, the Red Card Campaign, led by the African Renaissance and Diaspora Network (ARDN), UNESCO and their partners, aims to promote sport free from violence and discrimination.