Under a scorching sun at Saly Beach West, music played between bouts and fans danced in the stands. The cheers swelled whenever a Senegalese wrestler stepped into the ring, and the home crowd was at its loudest for Diatta.

Fourth at this year’s U17 Beach Wrestling World Championships, Diatta looked set to miss out on gold when Mexico’s Karen Rios was awarded three points. The review turned a 3–1 deficit into a 2–0 lead. Rios pulled a point back, but Diatta scored again to win 3–1. Colombia’s Valery Rubio beat Algeria’s U17 world silver medallist Meriem Safiya Grib 4–0 for bronze.

Azerbaijan won both boys’ finals against Georgian opponents. Tunar Guliyev, the U17 world bronze medallist at 70 kg, scored with just 1.1 seconds left against Luka Makharadze, who would have won a 1–1 tie because he had scored last. Makharadze’s unsuccessful challenge made the final score 3–1. Guliyev took a lap of honour with his coach, UWW Coach of the Year Oyan Nazariani.

The 70 kg bronze bout brought together two U17 world champions. Ukraine’s Mykyta Kuzmenko, who won the 60 kg world title in 2025, beat Iran’s reigning 70 kg champion Kiarash Torabi 3–2.

The boys’ 90 kg final pitted this year’s U17 world silver medallist against the reigning U17 European champion. Azerbaijan’s Elgun Karimli needed just 30 seconds to beat Georgia’s Nuradin Mustafaev 3–1. Mustafaev drew level before Karimli pushed him out of the ring to retake the lead and quickly added the winning point. Senegal’s Ablaye Diouf, fourth at the U17 Worlds, beat Brazil’s Allan Smith de Sousa Beserra 4–1 for bronze. That gave the hosts three golds and one bronze, enough to top the Beach Wrestling medal table.

Yolayni Rosado, a 2024 U17 Pan-American Beach Wrestling champion, became the first Dominican woman to win Youth Olympic gold. She led Spain’s Graciela Eningo 2–0 after 40 seconds and won the girls’ 65 kg final 3–1. Mongolia’s Anujin Erkhembaatar took bronze with a three-point move after Egypt’s Malak Abdelgalil fought back to level. Egypt’s unsuccessful challenge made the final score 6–2.

Beach Wrestling crowned eight Youth Olympic champions over two days at the first Olympic event held in Africa. For the young wrestlers who made their mark in Saly, the Beach Wrestling World Series offers a stage to aim for next.

From Maguette Diop dancing in the ring on Saturday to the roar that greeted Diatta’s winning point on Sunday, Senegal’s fans made the sport’s Olympic debut feel right at home in a country where wrestling is a national passion.

Results Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026
WOMEN 45 kg
1- Ndeye DIATTA, SEN
2- Karen RIOS, MEX
3- Valery RUBIO, COL

WOMEN 65 kg
1- Yolayni ROSADO, DOM
2- Graciela ENINGO, ESP
3- Anujin ERKHEMBAATAR, MGL

MEN 70 kg
1- Tunar GULIYEV, AZE
2- Luka MAKHARADZE, GEO
3- Mykyta KUZMENKO, UKR

MEN 90 kg
1- Elgun KARIMLI, AZE
2- Nuradin MUSTAFAEV, GEO
3- Ablaye DIOUF, SEN