UAE sprinter claims 100m silver at Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games

UAE track athlete Arwa Ali claimed the silver medal in the women's 100 meters event at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games on Sunday. She completed the race in 11.41 seconds, putting UAE’s medal haul at two, with one gold and one silver. Ali trailed Nigeria's Rosemary Nwankwo by a tenth of a second, as Nwankwo won gold in 11.16 seconds.

Qatar's Dana Salem secured bronze with a time of 11.48 seconds. This victory adds to Ali's impressive continental record, as she had already claimed gold at the Bahrain 2025 Asian Youth Games, setting a new Games record multiple times during the competition. In other athletics competitions, UAE sprinters Saeed Omar and Aisha Mohammed advanced to the men's and women's 400m finals, respectively.

Omar finished third in his qualifying round with a time of 48.33 seconds, while Mohammed clocked 54.89 seconds, also finishing third overall. Before the athletics events, UAE badminton player Riyan Malhan secured the nation's first gold medal in the Youth Olympic Games history by winning the boys' singles title. UAE equestrian Alya Almheiri also won gold as part of Team Asia in the continental team competition, which is separate from the official Youth Olympic medal program.