Abigael Chepkirui bags silver for Kenya in Dakar

Kenya's young athletics talent, Abigael Chepkirui, secured a silver medal for her nation in the women's 1500m race at the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games held in Senegal. Chepkirui finished in second place with a time of 4:29.86, behind Ethiopia's Elsabet Amare, who won gold with a time of 4:28.02. Kanari Estifanos of Eritrea came in third with a time of 4:31.10, claiming the bronze medal.

The accomplished runner from Lemotit Athletics Club matched wits with her competitors during the initial three laps but ultimately, Amare surged ahead in the final stretch, allowing Chepkirui to take the silver. Expressing her delight after the podium appearance, Chepkirui vowed to boost her endurance and speed in her future races.

"I am thrilled as I managed to get a silver medal here in Dakar, even though my target was a gold. This signifies that I need to put in extra effort during my training back home to achieve better results in forthcoming events or competitions. The race was overall good, except for the high temperatures which posed a significant challenge," Chepkirui remarked post-race at Complex Iba Mar Diop.

Kenya's overall medal count at the 2026 Dakar Youth Games rose to six across all competitions, consisting of three gold and three silver medals. Other medalists from Kenya at the event include Faith Rono in the women's 3000m and Enock Tuitoek in the men's 3000m, all taking home gold, as well as Wesley Kiplagat, Abigael Chepkirui, and Abigael Kosgei, who each won a silver medal.