Blignaut adds silver to Team SA’s medal tally

Team South Africa claimed its fifth silver medal at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, on Tuesday.

Milan Blignaut finished second in the Women’s High Jump with a height of 1.74m.

Kuwait’s Yasmeen Roy won gold with a clearance at 1.80m, bettering her personal best by eight centimetres.

Jamaica’s Malia Housen took bronze with a 1.71m jump.

Blignaut opened her campaign smoothly with early clearances at 1.60m and 1.64m. She then cleared 1.68m as the field narrowed to just five athletes. After a miss at 1.71m, she recovered to clear it on her second attempt.

When the bar moved to 1.74m, a podium finish was secured. Both Blignaut and Roy succeeded on their second attempts, while Housen failed, guaranteeing Blignaut at least a silver medal.

Roy went on to clear 1.76m on her second attempt and watched anxiously as Blignaut took her remaining jumps. When Blignaut was unable to answer, Roy secured the gold medal.

“I am in slight shock right now! I did not come here expecting to win a medal, let alone a silver. I am so happy and thankful to everyone for their support. This is the highlight of my sporting journey so far, and I hope to take my athletics, particularly my high jump, as far as possible. I am so happy to be standing here as a Youth Olympic medallist. It is surreal.”

Blignaut’s silver was Team South Africa’s fifth Youth Olympics silver medal in Dakar, bringing the team’s tally to 11 medals, which is a best-ever haul for the country at the Youth Olympics, bettering the nine medals South Africa won in 2010 in Singapore.

South Africa’s latest medal haul:

• Gold: Callum Dreyer (Hilton College) – Men’s Coastal Beach Rowing

• Gold: Matao le Roux (Swartberg) – Men’s High Jump
• Gold: Megan Nieman (Menlopark) – Women’s 400m Hurdles

• Silver:  John-Piere Theron (Driehoek)– Men’s Hammer Throw

• Silver:  Leah Markgraaff (HeronBridge College) – Women’s 400m Freestyle

• Silver: Milan Blignaut (Hoërskool Monument) – Women’s High Jump

• Silver: SA u17 Rugby Sevens team

• Silver and Bronze: Chanel Veldsman (Menlopark) – Women’s 100m Breaststroke (Silver) and 200m Breaststroke (Bronze)

• Bronze: Darius Botha (Dr Malan) – Men’s Shot Put
• Bronze: Enrique Bosch (Helpmekaar) – Men’s 110m Hurdles