Mixed fortunes for Nigerian swimmers in Dakar

Nigeria ended its swimming campaign at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games without a medal, but with a historic first as Kashope Obatoyinbo reached a final, while others missed out on the medal races, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The 16-year-old became the first Nigerian athlete to reach a final at the Games, finishing sixth in the men’s 50m freestyle in 23.43 seconds on Wednesday.

Obatoyinbo had qualified by edging Christon Joseph of the Bahamas by 0.01 seconds in a swim-off, clocking 23.55 seconds to Joseph’s 23.56 seconds. Czech Republic’s Zdenek Prochazka won the final in 22.54 seconds, Jaden Mills of Trinidad and Tobago took silver in 22.99 seconds, and Andrew Marcus Laghoutis of Cyprus claimed bronze in 23.04 seconds. Team Nigeria officials praised the teenager’s determination and resilience.

On Thursday, Aidan Dumuje-Abili finished 11th overall in the boys’ 50m backstroke, clocking 27.71 seconds to miss the eight-man final by 0.48 seconds. The 15-year-old raced from lane two in the fifth and final heat at the Complexe Tour de l’Oeuf Aquatic Centre, touching fourth after a reaction time of 0.56 seconds.

Laghoutis took the last final place in 27.23 seconds, and Dumuje-Abili was 0.22 seconds behind the first reserve, Kenya’s Jeremy Rieck.

It was his best ranking in Dakar. He was 19th in the 100m butterfly in 59.73 seconds, 15th in the 50m butterfly in 26.05 seconds, and fifth in his heat of the 100m backstroke in 1:00.79.

Also, Kristabel Oldeide finished second in her girls’ 50m backstroke heat in 32.47 seconds, 0.46 seconds behind the winner, but placed 30th overall. The cut-off for the final was 29.81 seconds.

Greece’s Nikolaos Papatheodorou and Portugal’s Miguel Reis Oliveira shared the boys’ final gold after both clocked 25.69 seconds, with Belgium’s Alexander Van Hoey Billiet third. South Africa’s Eric Kotze, the only African in the final, was fourth.

Nigeria’s swimming campaign ended on Friday, November 6, with Omolola Akinsanmi finishing third in her 200m freestyle heat in 2:18.08. It was her fourth event in Dakar. She was one of four young swimmers who represented the country.