Mana Ishikawa Completes Golden Hat-Trick as Japan Shine on Day 4 at Dakar 2026
Mana Ishikawa Wins Third Gold in Women’s 200m Individual Medley
Japan’s 17-year-old swimming sensation Mana Ishikawa continued her remarkable campaign by winning the women’s 200m individual medley final in 2:13.06. The victory completed her golden hat-trick at Dakar 2026, following her earlier triumphs in the women’s 100m and 200m breaststroke events.
China’s Chang Mohan finished second in 2:13.90 to claim silver, while Slovakia’s Stela Megelova secured bronze in 2:16.38, earning her country its first women’s swimming medal at the Youth Olympic Games.
Ishikawa’s latest success further established her as one of the standout performers of the competition. She expressed happiness at achieving three gold medals on the Youth Olympic stage.
Japan’s Iori Miyazaki Adds Another Swimming Gold
Japan enjoyed another victory in the men’s 200m individual medley, where Iori Miyazaki claimed his second gold medal of the Games with a winning time of 2:00.71.
New Zealand’s Ariel Muchirahondo finished second in 2:01.66, while T眉rkiye’s Kirhan Yilmaz took bronze in 2:02.91. Miyazaki’s performance also denied Muchirahondo a third gold medal at the competition.
The Japanese swimmer produced a personal best, improving his previous mark by approximately two seconds.
Historic Swimming Victories for Other Nations
The fourth day also witnessed several impressive performances in the swimming pool. Croatia’s Ana Bobanovic won the women’s 50m freestyle in 25.45 seconds, while Czechia’s Zdenek Prochazka claimed the men’s 50m freestyle title in 22.54 seconds.
Russia’s Serafima Fokina added another gold medal by winning the women’s 50m butterfly in 27.28 seconds, completing a golden double after her earlier victory in the 100m butterfly.
Egypt’s Zain Ali also secured his second gold medal of the Games by winning the men’s 50m butterfly in 24.06 seconds, following his earlier triumph in the 100m butterfly.
Japan Strengthen Position in Dakar 2026 Medal Race
With Ishikawa and Miyazaki both winning gold in the individual medley events, Japan strengthened its position in the overall medal standings.
After four days of competition, Japan led the medal table with six gold, one silver and two bronze medals. China occupied second place with four gold, three silver and one bronze, while Russia and Egypt also continued their strong campaigns.
The fourth day of Dakar 2026 once again highlighted the emerging talent of young athletes, with Ishikawa’s third gold medal standing out as one of the biggest achievements of the competition.
