Cuba defeated Chinese Taipei 2-0 in sets Tuesday to win the gold medal in Baseball5 at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, becoming the first nation to capture an Olympic title in the sport, CiberCuba reported. The final, played at the Complexe Tour de l’Œuf in Diamniadio, Senegal, ended with set scores of 2-1 and 7-1 in Cuba’s favor.
The victory marked a decisive rematch after Cuba dropped both group-stage encounters to Chinese Taipei, 3-5 and 4-5 — the first losses in the program’s history for the Caribbean side in World Baseball Softball Confederation competition.
Machado Casado Stars in the Final
Jean Carlos Machado Casado was one of the tournament’s standouts, collecting eight hits in ten at-bats in the championship match. After the game, he said he was “very happy and proud to be one of the first Cuban gold medalists of the Youth Olympic Games,” adding that the team had prepared for four months and trained daily in very high temperatures back home. “The medal represents a real sacrifice for me, my family and all the team members,” he said.
🖐️Baseball5 makes Olympic history at Dakar 2026 as Cuba, Chinese Taipei, Mexico and Kenya win on opening day 🧐As Day 1 is in the books, find out what happened in the opening day of Baseball5 at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games!#Dakar2026https://t.co/zpgFKefr5s
Cuba’s path to the title included a 2-0 win over Senegal (17-0, 13-0), a quarterfinal victory over France, and a 2-0 semifinal shutout of Kenya. Chinese Taipei, which took silver, had beaten Mexico 2-1 in the other semifinal; Kenya earned bronze.
A Historic Debut for Baseball5
Baseball5 made its Olympic debut at Dakar 2026, making it the first sport contested at an Olympic Games held in Africa. Eight teams participated: Cuba, Chinese Taipei, Turkey, Senegal, France, Mexico, Kenya and the WBSC Refugee Team representing Syria. Another milestone came from Cuba’s Jairon Medina, who scored the first run in Olympic Baseball5 history in the opening game against Turkey on Oct. 30, a 2-0 win built on sets of 6-0 and 3-2.
Cuba arrived in Senegal ranked No. 1 in the world, backed by a dominant run that includes the inaugural Baseball5 World Cup in Mexico City in 2022, the first Youth World Cup in Ankara in 2023 and the second senior world title in Hong Kong in 2024.
Chinese Taipei Acknowledges Cuba’s Edge
Chinese Taipei player Tzu-Yi Hsu credited Cuba’s “consistency, their defense and their few errors” for the result. Machado Casado summed up the experience beyond the scoreboard, saying life in the Olympic Village had been a beautiful experience and that the team learned to stay united in difficult moments.
Key Facts About Cuba’s Dakar 2026 Run
- Final: Cuba 2, Chinese Taipei 0 (sets 2-1, 7-1)
- Group stage vs. Chinese Taipei: Cuba lost 3-5 and 4-5 — its first WBSC losses
- Semifinal: Cuba 2, Kenya 0; other semi: Chinese Taipei 2, Mexico 1
- First Olympic Baseball5 run: Jairon Medina, Oct. 30 vs. Turkey
- Baseball5 Olympic debut: Dakar 2026, first African Olympics
Baseball5 was the first discipline on the program at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar 2026.
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