France’s Day 4 at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games produced one perfect run, two quarterfinal berths, and one exit decided by four seconds, according to equipedefrance.com. Mady Sow extended his flawless badminton campaign with a straight-sets win over Bulgaria’s Teodor Mitev, while Nina Guo Zheng survived a slow start to beat Portugal’s Julia Leal 4-1 in table tennis. In beach sprint rowing at Saly, Raphaël de Boussac lost his individual semifinal to Hungary’s Adam Moor by four seconds, ending his solo run one race short of the final four despite a bronze medal in the mixed pair the day before.
The contrast defined the day for the French delegation: Sow, the reigning European champion and a world medalist, is chasing gold with his family watching from the stands, while teammates Noah Vitel and Neela Lengue Te saw their tournaments end in seven-set heartbreak and a straight-sets loss respectively. Quarterfinals in both badminton and table tennis are scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 4, starting at 10 a.m. French time.
Mady Sow Rolls on in Badminton, Eyes Gold in Senegal
After defeating New Zealand’s Tony Yu and Serbia’s Aleksa Radovanovic, he was pushed harder by Bulgaria’s Teodor Mitev before closing the match out in two sets, 21-16 and 21-9, equipedefrance.com reported. His quarterfinal is set for Wednesday, Nov. 4, from 10 a.m. French time.
The stakes carry personal weight: olympics.com reports that Dakar holds special meaning for Sow because Senegal is his father’s birthplace, and he said winning in front of his parents and family there “would be quite symbolic.” The outlet also notes that after his European title and world medal, he is widely viewed as one of the favorites at Dakar 2026 — a status he accepts without shrinking from it, saying the challenge when you are the favorite is to prove you are the best. Looking beyond these Games, he told olympics.com he leaves the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics to senior stars Alex Lanier and Christo Popov, and sees Brisbane 2032 as his more realistic path to representing France at a senior Olympics.
In the women’s draw, France’s run ended earlier: Neela Lengue Te lost her final group match to No. 5 seed Chihyun Cheng, who remained unbeaten at the start of the competition, in two sets, 21-16 and 21-11, after battling for about half an hour, equipedefrance.com reported.
Nina Guo Zheng Into Table Tennis Quarters; Noah Vitel Loses Seven-Set Epic
Nina Guo Zheng, the No. 5 seed from Normandy, opened her knockout campaign slowly against Portugal’s Julia Leal before finding her rhythm and winning 4-1. The 16-year-old — daughter of Yuan Zheng, a former world No. 10 and 1993 Chinese champion — told equipedefrance.com she was very tense at the start but freed up after taking the second set, and hopes to keep building as the rounds get tougher. Her quarterfinal is Wednesday, Nov. 4.
Moments later, Noah Vitel came within a single missed opportunity of an upset. The 15-year-old from Courbevoie, seeded No. 15, took control at times against South Korea’s Seungsoo Lee, the world junior No. 3, using an effective backhand to trouble his opponent repeatedly. But Lee saved seven set points in the fourth set and a match point in the sixth before Vitel’s resistance finally broke in a seven-set loss, 3-4: 6-11, 11-7, 11-8, 14-16, 11-6, 10-12, 4-11, equipedefrance.com reported. Vitel said he felt he could have beaten the South Korean but missed his chance, called it a great experience, and said he would now back Nina Guo Zheng to win a medal.
Raphaël de Boussac Eliminated Four Seconds from Semifinal Berth
On the beach at Saly, Raphaël de Boussac could not follow up his mixed-pair bronze medal with Elisa Guilloton with an individual podium. In the skiff (individual) event, he made a difficult start but came back strongly, even believing he could catch up during the beach running portion, only to be beaten by four seconds by Hungary’s Adam Moor at the line, equipedefrance.com reported. “We’re all here to win.”
The native of La Seyne-sur-Mer still leaves Dakar with positives: a top-eight solo finish, a win over Greece’s Iason Mouselimis, the reigning European U19 champion and pre-event favorite, the bronze in the pair event, and the experience of carrying the flag at the opening ceremony. “I’m proud of myself…”
Lisa Lo Fifth in Wushu Taolu; Baseball5 France Finishes Sixth
In baseball5, France’s final match was the fifth-place game against Turkey, after a loss to finalist Cuba the previous day. The French team, led by flag-bearer Elsa Lepinay, resisted well in the first set but faded late and lost 2-0, finishing sixth. The Games also introduced many French viewers to baseball5, a derivative of baseball, while full baseball joins the Olympic program at Los Angeles 2028, the source noted.
What Happens Next at Dakar 2026 for France on Nov. 4
Wednesday brings the decisive rounds for France’s remaining medal hopes: Mady Sow’s badminton quarterfinal and Nina Guo Zheng’s table tennis quarterfinal, both from 10 a.m. French time. With Vitel, Lengue Te, de Boussac, Lo and the baseball5 team’s campaigns over, those two matches are where the French medal count can still move.
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