Hamed makes debut at Dakar Youth Olympics

DAKAR, NOV 3
Oman’s swimmer Hamed al Hasani concluded his first Olympic appearance on Tuesday with a second-place finish in his heat of the men’s 400m freestyle at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.
Competing in lane four at the Olympic swimming pool in the Complexe Tour de l’Œuf, Al Hasani clocked 4 minutes 29 seconds to finish behind Uganda’s Mark Arthur Wassi, who won the heat in 4:28. Tanzania’s Zak Okumen placed third in 4:42.
However, Al Hasani’s time was not enough to secure a place in the final. He finished 31st overall among 33 swimmers across the four heats, with only the fastest qualifiers advancing.
The young Omani had entered the competition with a personal best of 4:27 and had hoped to improve on that mark.
In the final, Saudi Arabia’s Rami Bilal al Rahmouni claimed gold in 3:47, followed by Russian swimmer Bogdan Toropkin, who took silver in 3:50. Mexico’s Saborio Grillo Daniel secured bronze in 3:52.
ARRIVAL OF FENCING, TAEKWONDO TEAMS
Oman’s fencing and taekwondo teams are set to arrive in Dakar over the coming days, completing the Sultanate’s athlete presence at the fourth edition of the Youth Olympic Games, which run until November 13.
The Games have brought together around 2,700 athletes representing 206 National Olympic Committees, competing across 25 sports and 151 medal events.
Oman’s taekwondo delegation comprises coach Adil al Wahaibi and athlete Ziyad Ali al Balushi. They are scheduled to arrive on Friday, ahead of Al Balushi’s participation in the men’s under-48 kg event on November 8 at Iba Mar Diop.

The technical meeting for taekwondo is scheduled for Saturday, with Al Balushi expected to begin training immediately after his arrival. The competition will follow a single-elimination format, with both losing semifinalists receiving bronze medals. The programme also includes a mixed-team event alongside the individual competitions.
Meanwhile, Oman’s fencing team is expected to arrive early next week, with athlete Jana al Sharji accompanied by national coach Hisham Kershoud.
Al Sharji will compete in the women’s singles épée event on November 10 at Dakar Expo in Diamniadio, becoming the final Omani athlete to compete at the Games.
The fencing technical meeting is also scheduled for Saturday, covering organisational arrangements, including the draw and allocation of athletes to preliminary pools.
The fencing programme features six individual events across épée, foil and sabre for both men and women. Each event begins with a pool phase, where athletes compete to establish an overall ranking and determine their seeding for the knockout rounds.
Pool bouts consist of a single three-minute period, with the first fencer to score five valid hits declared the winner. The competition then progresses through direct-elimination rounds to the semifinals and finals, with the semifinal winners contesting gold and the defeated fencers competing for bronze.