Nigeria recorded contrasting fortunes across events at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Senegal, with the beach volleyball team advancing to the quarter-finals, while table tennis players Matthew Kuti and Favour Ojo ended their campaigns following defeats in their final preliminary-round matches.
The Nigerian beach volleyball team secured qualification for the last eight after defeating Thailand in straight sets, winning 21-16, 21-13 to maintain their pursuit of a podium finish.
The victory marked an important milestone for the Nigerian duo and their coach, Super Kay, as they progressed into the knockout phase of the competition.
In table tennis, however, Nigeria’s hopes ended with the elimination of Kuti and Ojo, who both lost their respective final group matches.
Kuti, Nigeria’s deputy captain, needed a victory to secure a place in the men’s singles knockout stage but fell 0-3 to Italy’s Francesco Travesan. Ojo had earlier suffered defeat against her Hong Kong opponent, recording her third loss in a four-player group.
Only the top two players in each group advanced to the knockout rounds.
Nigeria’s exit leaves Algeria’s Tania Morice and Egypt’s Abdelmalk Elsayed as the only African representatives remaining in the table tennis competition.
Meanwhile, Nigerian swimmers Kashope Obatoyinbo and Tobiloba Omolola Akinsanmi gained valuable international experience in their respective 100m freestyle events.
Obatoyinbo, 16, finished fourth in Heat 7 of the men’s 100m freestyle with a time of 53.81 seconds. He placed 29th overall among 73 competitors, a respectable performance for the young Nigerian, who had the support of his mother throughout the competition in Dakar.
He is scheduled to return to action on Wednesday in the men’s 50m freestyle event.
In the women’s 100m freestyle, Akinsanmi finished fifth in her heat after recording 1:03.33, bringing her participation in the event to a close.
Although neither swimmer progressed further in the 100m freestyle, their performances provided valuable exposure on the international stage.
With beach volleyball now through to the quarter-finals, Nigeria will look to build on that progress as its young athletes continue their campaigns at the continental and global youth sporting showcase.
