China's Lin wins first wushu gold in Olympic event at Dakar YOG

China's Lin Yilei claimed the first wushu gold medal in Olympic history with victory in the men's Changquan combined event at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games on Tuesday.

Lin Yilei of China competes during the Men's Changquan Combined final of Wushu Taolu event at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Diamniadio, Senegal, Nov. 3, 2026. (Xinhua/Sun Fei)

Four gold medals were awarded in wushu taolu at the Dakar Exhibition Center, marking the sport's debut at an Olympic event.

After the competition, Lin's coach Zheng Jutian said the team's participation carried significance beyond the result.

"We are standing on the Youth Olympic stage for the first time, representing all wushu practitioners in China. Wushu's entry into the Olympic events has fulfilled a dream of ours, made possible by the efforts of generations of people who have worked to promote the sport," Zheng said.

Egypt's Sondos Sonbol won the women's Changquan combined, Poon Hao Ran of Hong Kong, China triumphed in the men's Taijiquan combined, and Singapore's Ng Zhe Nin took the women's Taijiquan combined title.

In Saly, China's Liu Lili won the women's solo title in coastal rowing beach sprints. It was her second gold medal of the Games, following her victory alongside Su Juntao in the mixed double sculls on Monday.

Liu said after the race that she had not expected to win the individual title, as her preparations had focused primarily on the mixed event. "I came into the individual competition thinking I'd just see how far I could go," she said.

Su, meanwhile, narrowly missed out on a place in the men's solo semifinals, losing to Egypt's Yossuf Moursi by 3.43 seconds. South Africa's Callum Dreyer went on to win the title.

Five more gold medals were decided in swimming, with China's Xie Yichen winning the men's 100m breaststroke in 1:01.03.

"It felt as if I was the only one in the pool. I just focused on pushing forward," Xie said. "When the national anthem played and the national flag was raised, I felt I had made a contribution to my country. I am very proud."

In other events, Rami Bilal Al-Rahmouni won the men's 400m freestyle, securing Saudi Arabia's first Youth Olympic swimming gold. Romania's Daria-Mariuca Silisteanu claimed the women's 100m backstroke title, while New Zealand's Ariel Muchirahondo and Japan's Mana Ishikawa won the men's 100m backstroke and women's 100m breaststroke, respectively, each earning a second gold medal at the Games.

The badminton group stage concluded, with China's Zhang Yixin defeating Denmark's Sophia Loudrup to finish top of her group and advance to the women's singles quarterfinals. Compatriot Hong Tianyue also advanced to the men's singles quarterfinals as group winner after his final group-stage opponent withdrew.

In table tennis, China's Yao Ruixuan lost to Chinese Taipei's Chen Minhsin in the women's singles round of 16 after a 68-minute, seven-game battle, while Li Hechen advanced to the men's singles quarterfinals with a 4-0 victory over Argentina's Agustin Asmu. In the mixed doubles final, Japan's Ryuusei Kawakami and Miku Matsushima defeated Hong Kong, China's Li Ki Ho and Su Tsz Tung 3-1 to claim gold.

In beach volleyball, China's Zhuang Ming and Qi Siyu beat Mexico's Angela Perez Araujo and Celia Yazbeth Lopez Higuera 2-0 in the quarterfinals before losing to the Netherlands' Jara Both and Matilda de Groot in the semifinals. The Chinese pair will face a Swiss duo in Wednesday's bronze-medal match.

The final two judo titles were awarded, with Brazil's Clarisse Vallim taking the women's 78kg crown and Lithuania's Tajus Babaicenko winning the men's 100kg category. China's Cheng Yue secured bronze in the women's 78kg event.

In women's rugby sevens, China won three consecutive matches to finish fifth. The team defeated host Senegal in its final pool match before beating Spain and the United States in the placement matches. Kenya defeated Australia 17-12 to win the title.

Cuba defeated Chinese Taipei 2-0 to claim the Baseball5 title.

On Wednesday, six gold medals will be awarded in swimming, two in beach volleyball and one in skateboarding.