Gold medalist Chang Mohan (C) of China, silver medalist Ana Bobanovic (L) of Croatia and bronze medalist Dhinidhi Desinghu of India pose for a group photo at the awarding ceremony of the women's 200m freestyle final at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, Nov. 6, 2026. (Xinhua/Na Yuqi)
DAKAR, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chang Mohan claimed gold in both the women's 200m freestyle and 200m butterfly as the swimming competitions at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games concluded on Friday, while China's women's 3x3 basketball team made a winning start to its campaign, winning both group-stage games to reach the quarterfinals.
Chang staged a late comeback to win the women's 200m freestyle in 1:59.59, edging out Croatia's Ana Bobanovic. The 15-year-old followed that with another commanding performance in the 200m butterfly, leading from start to finish to take gold in 2:09.93.
The two victories brought Chang's tally at the Games to two golds and two silvers, providing a fitting end to her Youth Olympic journey.
Speaking after the races, Chang said she had felt under pressure after narrowly missing out on gold in her first two events, adding that she had also been troubled by fever and diarrhea, which made the competition particularly challenging.
"I didn't want to leave the final day with regrets, so I tried my best to adjust my form. I faced a lot of uncertainty coming into today, because I didn't know how well I could bounce back on the deck," Chang said.
"Winning these two gold medals on the final day is a huge inspiration. Although there are many things I could have done better in the earlier events, it ended up being a deeply memorable and successful meet for me," she added.
In the other swimming finals, Russia's Bogdan Toropkin won the men's 200m freestyle in 1:47.78, claiming his second gold of the Games after winning the 100m freestyle. Egypt's Zain Ali took gold in the men's 200m butterfly, securing his third title at the Games.
In women's 3x3 basketball, China opened its campaign with a commanding 21-4 victory over Fiji before beating Kenya 20-15 to secure a place in the quarterfinals with two consecutive wins.
In women's triathlon, Switzerland's Kimey Casanova claimed the gold medal in the competition held in Saly, while China's Xu Enge finished 13th.
Reflecting on her performance, Xu said she was satisfied with her swimming leg but suffered a setback during the cycling leg after accidentally riding into sand at the turning point and crashing.
She also conceded that she struggled with running on soft sand and needed to train more to improve in that area.
In the equestrian individual jumping final, Switzerland's Mike Smits claimed gold with a fault-free round in 37.81 seconds aboard Barentin De Rampan. China's Sun Ruirui was eliminated with her horse Astral Z.
On Saturday, Chinese athletes will compete in men's artistic gymnastics, while four gold medals will be awarded in beach wrestling in Saly. ■
Chang Mohan of China competes during the women's 200m freestyle final at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, Nov. 6, 2026. (Xinhua/Wang Dongzhen)
