Leah Markgraaff and Chanel Veldsman Medal in Dakar

Leah Markgraaff of Team SA won silver in the women’s 400m freestyle at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games, touching in 4:26.13 behind Ecuador’s Elvira Espinosa to win South Africa’s first medal of the Games, the first Olympic event on African soil, at the Dakar Aquatic Centre in Dakar, Senegal on Sunday, 1 November 2026. Photo: OIC / IOC

Leah Markgraaff won silver in the women’s 400m freestyle at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games on Sunday to open Team SA’s medal account, and Chanel Veldsman followed on Monday with a personal best to take 200m breaststroke bronze.

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