Beach Wrestling Makes Historic Olympic Debut at Dakar 2026
Beach wrestling made its historic debut at an Olympic event during the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games in Senegal, bringing together 96 wrestlers from 52 National Olympic Committees. The two-day competition took place on November 7 and 8 at Saly Beach West, featuring eight weight categories, four each for men and women.
A total of 24 medals were awarded across the eight categories. Hosts Senegal emerged as the most successful nation with three gold medals, while Azerbaijan secured two titles. China, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic also claimed gold medals.
Senegal Leads the Medal Standings
The host nation enjoyed an impressive campaign in front of its home crowd, winning three gold medals through its athletes.
Elisabeth Diatta claimed the women’s 55kg title after defeating Japan’s Reisa Kojima 5-1 in the final. Maguette Diop also delivered a memorable performance in the men’s 80kg category, defeating Azerbaijan’s Nihad Suleymanli 4-0 to secure gold.
On the second day, Ndeye Diatta added another gold medal for Senegal in the women’s 45kg category, defeating Mexico’s Karen Rios 3-1 in the final.
Azerbaijan also enjoyed a successful competition, with Tunar Guliyev winning the men’s 70kg title and Elgun Karimli claiming gold in the men’s 90kg category.
China, Venezuela and Dominican Republic Claim Gold
The men’s 60kg final saw Venezuela’s Wilfredo Rodriguez defeat Iran’s Amirali Domirkolaei 4-0 to become the first Youth Olympic beach wrestling champion.
In the women’s 65kg category, Dominican Republic’s Yolayni Rosado secured gold after defeating Spain’s Graciela Eningo 3-1 in the final.
China’s Min Zhao won the women’s 75kg title, defeating India’s Taniya 2-1 in a closely contested final. The victory gave China its only beach wrestling gold medal at the competition.
Taniya Creates History for Indian Wrestling
India also celebrated a significant achievement through Taniya, who secured silver in the women’s 75kg category. She became the country’s first-ever beach wrestling medallist at the Youth Olympic Games.
Taniya reached the final after producing an unbeaten run in her earlier bouts. She defeated Germany’s Mia Mauer and Greece’s Vasiliki Karavanou in the group stage before overcoming Estonia’s Merily Vaester in the quarter-finals and the United States’ Matilda Hruby in the semi-finals.
Although she narrowly lost the final against Zhao Min, her silver medal marked an important milestone for Indian wrestling.
Complete Beach Wrestling Medal Results at Dakar 2026
Men’s Categories
60kg: Gold – Wilfredo Rodriguez (Venezuela); Silver – Amirali Domirkolaei (Iran); Bronze – Davit Mdzevashvili (Georgia).
70kg: Gold – Tunar Guliyev (Azerbaijan); Silver – Luka Makharadze (Georgia); Bronze – Mykyta Kuzmenko (Ukraine).
80kg: Gold – Maguette Diop (Senegal); Silver – Nihad Suleymanli (Azerbaijan); Bronze – Reza Jalilian (Iran).
90kg: Gold – Elgun Karimli (Azerbaijan); Silver – Nuradin Mustafaev (Georgia); Bronze – Ablaye Diouf (Senegal).
Women’s Categories
45kg: Gold – Ndeye Diatta (Senegal); Silver – Karen Rios (Mexico); Bronze – Valery Rubio (Colombia).
55kg: Gold – Elisabeth Diatta (Senegal); Silver – Reisa Kojima (Japan); Bronze – Manzanza Tsimba (DR Congo).
65kg: Gold – Yolayni Rosado (Dominican Republic); Silver – Graciela Eningo (Spain); Bronze – Anujin Erkhambaata (Mongolia).
75kg: Gold – Min Zhao (China); Silver – Taniya (India); Bronze – Matilda Hruby (United States).
A New Chapter for Beach Wrestling
The successful introduction of beach wrestling at the Dakar Youth Olympic Games represents an important development for the sport’s international growth. The competition showcased emerging wrestling talent and provided young athletes with an opportunity to compete on an Olympic platform.
With Senegal delivering a memorable performance on home sand and athletes from several nations claiming historic victories, beach wrestling made a strong first impression at the Youth Olympic Games.
