Youth Olympic Games: Mustapha Jadama used to call himself the king of the track whenever he won a race back home in The Gambia. Now, his silver medal in the men’s 400m at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar has given that self-proclaimed title far greater significance, making him a trailblazer in his country’s sporting history.
The Gambia, a small West African nation almost surrounded by Senegal, had waited more than four decades for its first Olympic medal. Since making its Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 1984 Games, the country had competed at every edition without reaching the podium. Its athletes had also failed to win a medal at the previous three editions of the Youth Olympic Games.
Jadama finally ended that drought on Tuesday, clocking 46.93 seconds to finish second behind Saeed Omar of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), who won gold in 46.40 seconds. The achievement made the teenager the first Gambian to win a medal at either the Olympic Games or Youth Olympic Games.
The historic result quickly made headlines back home, with Jadama receiving congratulations from people he had never met. “One man even called me, but I didn’t know the person,” Jadama told Olympics.com. “I was so excited when I received the call from that man.”
After enjoying the celebrations surrounding his breakthrough, spending time with fellow athletes in the Athletes’ Village and exploring the Senegalese capital, Jadama is now eager to return home and share the moment with his family. “My family have been calling me, too,” he said. “They said they are waiting for me for the celebration.”
For the young sprinter who once proudly crowned himself king of the track, the silver medal in Dakar has brought a far greater distinction: a place in the history of Gambian sport.
Meanwhile, Senegal advanced to the semifinals in both the men’s and women’s beach handball tournaments on Wednesday.
The host nation had secured its place in the women’s last four with a 2-0 victory over Croatia. After taking a closely contested first set 24-20, Senegal pulled away in the second to seal a 30-16 period in front of a home crowd at Saly Beach West.
Senegal will face Spain in the semifinals after the latter swept Kenya 2-0. In the other quarterfinals, France edged China 2-1, while Uruguay defeated Mexico 2-0, reports Xinhua.
In the men’s quarterfinals, Senegal beat Thailand 2-0 (20-19, 20-16). Germany, Hungary and Brazil also advanced to the semifinals.
Germany defeated Puerto Rico 2-0, Hungary edged Tunisia 2-1, and Brazil beat the Cook Islands 2-0.
Article Source: IANS
