Kenyan swimmers miss Dakar Youth Olympics final spots

Kenya's Rael Kuloba lost to Boubacar Ousamane of Côte d’Ivoire in the second round of the Repechage in judo. [NOC-K media]

Yesterday was a tough day in the office for Kenyan swimmers at the ongoing Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games as they failed to book final slots. 

Jeremy Rieck was first in action in the men's 100m backstroke, where he clocked 59.15 seconds in heat four but fell short of securing a place in the final. Macrine Kolombo also faced a tough challenge in heat two of the women's 100m breaststroke. Kolombo touched the wall in one minute 23.33 seconds but her time was not good enough to get her to the final.

Neo Olengo's hopes of reaching the men’s 100m breaststroke final were also crushed after he raced in a time of 1:8.49.  With the 100m events behind them, attention now shifts to their remaining races as the Kenyan swimmers look to make the most of their time in Dakar.

Kolombo will return to the pool tomorrow for the Women's 200m individual medley before wrapping up her competition tomorrow with the 50m breaststroke. Olengo will next compete in the men's 50m freestyle before concluding his campaign tomorrow in the 50m breaststroke. Rieck, who made the 100m butterfly final on the opening day, will be back in action in the 50m butterfly, then complete his assignment tomorrow in the 50m backstroke.

Meanwhile, Isabelle Mwangi, who is yet to plunge into the pool, will launch her quest in the women's 50m freestyle before rounding off her competition on Friday in the 200m freestyle. Speaking after the race, Kolombo said that her race didn’t go as she had planned but she was hoping to perform better in her remaining competitions. “I had low energy, so it didn’t go as planned but I’m hoping for the best in my next races,” Kolombo said.

In judo, Rael Kuloba returned to the tatami at the Dakar Expo Centre for her Repechage contest. Following her Round of 16 defeat against Viktoria Grigoryan, Kuloba was presented with another opportunity to progress as she faced Boubacar Ousamane of Côte d’Ivoire in the second round of the Repechage.

In a closely contested encounter, the Kenyan judoka demonstrated resilience and determination, taking a 1–0 lead. Despite her spirited performance, Kuloba was unable to secure victory, bringing her Youth Olympic Games campaign to an end.

Kuloba described the experience as an important learning opportunity, noting that competing in the new 52kg weight category had provided valuable lessons for her development.

She expressed her determination to return home and work on improving her pace, timing and technical skills as she looks ahead to future competitions. Her coach, Johnson Kirimo, was impressed with her performance, recognising the effort and progress she demonstrated despite the defeat. The experience, he noted, will provide an important foundation for her continued development in the category.

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