Sports · Other Sports · 18 hrs ago
Elisabeth Diatta wins Senegal’s first Olympic gold at Youth Games
Sixteen-year-old Elisabeth Diatta won Senegal’s first Olympic gold medal at the Youth Olympic Games.
She beat Japan’s Reisa Kojima in the women’s 55-kilogram beach wrestling final in Saly, Senegal.
The Youth Games are being held in Dakar and nearby towns, and beach wrestling is making its Olympic debut there.
Wrestling has deep roots in Senegal, where the local style, laamb, has been part of village life for centuries.
The win was especially meaningful because Senegalese wrestling is mostly dominated by men, though women traditionally wrestle alongside men in Diatta’s home region of Casamance.
Diatta said she hopes Senegalese girls will keep wrestling and believe in themselves.
An hour later, Senegal’s Maguette Diop won the men’s 80-kilogram final, giving the country a second wrestling gold.
Elisabeth Diatta won Senegal’s first-ever gold medal at an Olympic event, taking the women’s 55-kilogram beach wrestling title at the Youth Olympic Games.
The 16-year-old beat Japan’s Reisa Kojima in the final with a takedown in front of home fans.
The competition took place in Saly, Senegal, as part of the Games being held in Dakar and nearby towns.
Diatta said she hoped Senegalese girls would believe in themselves and continue wrestling.
About an hour later, Senegal’s Maguette Diop won a second wrestling gold in the men’s 80-kilogram division.
- Who
- Elisabeth Diatta, 16, and Reisa Kojima competed in the final.
- What
- Diatta won the women’s 55-kilogram beach wrestling gold. It was Senegal’s first-ever gold medal at an Olympic event.
- When
- Saturday, November 7, 2026.
- Where
- Saly, Senegal.
- Why
- Not stated
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Elisabeth Diatta beat Reisa Kojima in the women’s 55-kilogram beach wrestling final.
Senegal’s Maguette Diop defeated Azerbaijan’s Nihad Suleymanli in the men’s 80-kilogram final.
- Diatta’s age
- 16
- Women’s final division
- 55 kilograms
- Opponent in the final
- Reisa Kojima of Japan
- Competition venue
- Saly, Senegal
- Second Senegalese wrestling gold
- Maguette Diop won the men’s 80-kilogram final
What people are saying
I’m so happy to have made history for Senegal.
Senegalese girls to believe in themselves, and keep wrestling, because wrestling is not just for men.
We have opened the door for everyone, for all the disciplines that remain, that have not yet competed,
May the medals fall for Senegal.