Nieman wins Team SA’s third Dakar 2026 gold

Team South Africa secured its third gold medal at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, on Tuesday.

In a tight women’s 400m hurdles final, Megan Nieman edged out Switzerland’s Mina Hirsbrunner, stopping the clock in 57.75 seconds, with the Swiss athlete claiming silver in 57.84. Colombia’s Michell Carolina Gomez came in third in a time of 58.90.

Nieman exploded out of the blocks and held the lead coming off the final turn. However, a clip of the penultimate hurdle cost her momentum, allowing Hirsbrunner to pounce and take the lead.

Nieman, though, quickly regained her composure and powered through the final metres to edge past a fading Hirsbrunner at the finish line.

The learner from Die Hoërskool Menlopark in Pretoria won Team South Africa’s third Youth Olympics gold medal in Dakar, bringing the team’s tally to 10 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: SA u17 Rugby Sevens team

• Silver and Bronze: Chanel Veldman (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