{"id":15826,"date":"2026-11-12T13:35:17","date_gmt":"2026-11-12T13:35:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tewnet.com\/index\/?p=15826"},"modified":"2026-11-12T13:35:17","modified_gmt":"2026-11-12T13:35:17","slug":"ethiopia-youth-olympics-dakar-2026-elsabet-amare-yomif-abebe-gold","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tewnet.com\/index\/15826","title":{"rendered":"Elsabet Amare and Yomif Abebe Strike Gold as Ethiopia Tops the Youth Olympics Track in Dakar"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Ethiopia\u2019s teenage runners ruled the athletics at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal. They won five gold medals and three silver and finished first on the track and field table on Tuesday, November 10.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

China came second with three gold, four silver and two bronze. Kenya and Nigeria each won three gold. These Games are the first Olympic event ever held in Africa, and the young Ethiopians made sure people noticed.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Two Golds in Ten Minutes<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The last night was the best. Yomif Abebe (\u12ee\u121a\u134d \u12a0\u1260\u1260), 16, finished fast in the 800 meters and passed an Eritrean rival in the closing meters. He won in 1:48.99, a Games record.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cThe secret to my win is my coach, my teammates, my family,\u201d Yomif told Athletics Africa. \u201cOur team is really good, we\u2019re like a family.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

About ten minutes later, Elsabet Amare (\u12a4\u120d\u1233\u1264\u1275 \u12a0\u121b\u1228) took the 1500 meters in 4:28.02. Kenya\u2019s Abigael Chepkirui was second in 4:29.86, and Eritrea\u2019s Kanari Estifanos was third. Elsabet, 17, already had a big year behind her. In June she ran the fastest mile ever by a girl under 18, and in August she was fourth at the World Under 20 Championships in Oregon.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

She did not hide her confidence. \u201cBefore we started the competition, I knew I was going to get the gold medal,\u201d she said. \u201cI just believed that I could win the gold.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

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\"Ethiopian\r\n
Yomif Abebe of Ethiopia carries his flag after winning the boys\u2019 800 meters at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, on November 10, 2026 (OIS\/Kieran Cleeves, via Athletics Africa)<\/em><\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n

A 15 Year Old Breaks the Clock<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Monday belonged to Junedin Abdo (\u1301\u1290\u12f2\u1295 \u12a0\u1265\u12f6). The 15 year old won the 2,000 meters steeplechase in 5:29.30, almost seven seconds ahead of Kenya\u2019s Wesley Kiplagat. He became the first runner ever to break five minutes 30 seconds in the youth version of the race, which uses lower barriers.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Netsanet Selemon won the women\u2019s 800 meters in 2:04.43, another Games record and a new personal best. Wabi Seblega then won the men\u2019s 1500 meters in 3:58.73. That gave Ethiopia three gold medals in one evening.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Three Close Silvers<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The silver medals were close calls. On Sunday, Tsedikan Mekonen was second in the women\u2019s steeplechase, and Goytom Mekonen lost the men\u2019s 3000 meters by about half a second. On Monday, Yordanos Tsigab missed gold in the women\u2019s 3000 meters by just 0.24 seconds.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

All eight medals came in races of 800 meters or longer. Several runners said the hot weather at the Complexe Iba Mar Diop stadium made every race hard.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

A Big Week for Ethiopian Running<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The Dakar medals capped a strong few days. On Sunday, Ethiopian runners also won both races at the Athens Marathon<\/a> in record times. The same day, Fentaye Belayneh won the Boston Half Marathon<\/a> for a third straight year.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Great Ethiopian careers often start this way. Haile Gebrselassie won two world junior titles in Seoul in 1992, years before his name filled our list of Ethiopian marathon winners by year<\/a>. Elsabet, Yomif and Junedin now have the same kind of start.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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