Dunya Yenihayat won the gold medal in the women’s individual archery event at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games on Monday, November 9, defeating the United States competitor Ye-Eun Whang in a shoot-off at the Abdoulaye Wade Stadium in Senegal, Claro Sports reported.
The final reached a 5-5 tie after five intense sets. Yenihayat took the first set 28-26 before both archers scored 30 points in the second. Whang claimed the third set 29-28, but Yenihayat responded with a 30-28 victory in the fourth. Whang then secured the fifth set 27-29 to level the score.
The gold medal was decided by a single additional arrow per competitor. Both archers scored 10 points, but Yenihayat’s arrow landed closer to the center of the target, earning her the decisive point and the 6-5 victory.
Yenihayat advanced to the decisive phase as the top seed after scoring 688 points in the ranking round. She opened the knockout stages with a 6-0 win over Brazil’s Luiza Langone and repeated that score against Huda Saleh Alali of the United Arab Emirates in the round of 16. In the quarterfinals, she defeated Australia’s Ellen Martini 6-0 before overcoming Spain’s Sandra Pérez Cumbreras 7-1 in the semifinals.
On the opposite side of the bracket, Whang reached the final through two shoot-offs. She defeated India’s Gatha Anandrao Khadake 6-5 in the quarterfinals and overcame Singapore’s Tabitha Ern Lin Yeo by the same 6-5 scoreline in the semifinals.
Sandra Pérez Cumbreras secured the bronze medal for Spain by defeating Tabitha Ern Lin Yeo 6-4 in the third-place playoff. Pérez Cumbreras had previously defeated Adela Tollarovicova 7-1 in the round of 16 and Aurane Lapouge 6-5 in the quarterfinals.
Mexico’s participation in the women’s individual event ended in the round of 16. Maya Casas Lara was eliminated after a narrow 6-5 defeat against Singapore’s Tabitha Yeo, leaving Mexico without a spot on the individual podium.
Archery events at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games continue on Tuesday, November 10, with the mixed team competition. Mexico will be represented in that event by Maya Casas Lara and Diego Fernando Góngora Trujillo.
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