Rising Lionesses win Kenya's first Olympic gold in a team sport at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games
3 November 2026
Kenya's under-age women's rugby sevens team, the Rising Lionesses, won gold at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Senegal.
They beat tournament favourites Australia 17-12 in the final, with Mitchelle Chemtai scoring the golden point in sudden-death extra time.
It is Kenya's first-ever Olympic gold medal in a team sport.
Madagascar took bronze, the first Olympic medal of any level for that country.
The fourth Youth Olympics are the first held on African soil.
Kenya's government announced a reward of KSh 250,000 for each player, and the team was led by captain Zain Mohamed.
Final score:
17-12
Edition:
4th Youth Olympics
Reward per player:
KSh 250,000
Why it matters for exams: Dakar as the first African host of an Olympic event and Kenya's first team-sport Olympic gold are sports GK staples.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Youth Olympic Games — The Olympic multi-sport event for young athletes.