Selina Wögerer, the 17-year-old judoka from Upper Austria, has captured bronze at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, capping a difficult season in which an elbow injury cost her a spot at the Youth World Championships in Ecuador, Judo Austria reported. The medal marks the biggest success of her career to date, and Wögerer said her European Cup results this year — first, second and third places — show the Dakar performance was no fluke.
Wögerer’s home coach, Martin Stump, a board member of the Austrian Judo Federation (ÖJV) and trainer at her Leonding club, had hesitated just a week before the trip about whether to book the journey to Dakar. On Tuesday evening, he was grinning alongside Wögerer, the bronze medal around her neck, and youth national team coach Lisa Dengg.
🏅 🏅@jojdakar2026 : Jour 4 | Les médaillés en judo ! -78 kg – Femmes 🥇 Clarisse Vallim 🥈 Anastasiia Dobrovolskaia 🥉 Selina Woegerer 🥉 Yue Cheng -100 kg – Hommes 🥇 Tajus Babaicenko 🥈 Jurabek Eshpulatov 🥉 Don de Dieu Igiraneza 🥉 Naito Arai#Dakar2026 #RTS #SUNUMOOMEL… pic.twitter.com/NoZR45tVSx
An Aggressive 35-Second Bronze Match
Wögerer said she approached the bronze-medal bout aggressively and was relieved the contest was over in 35 seconds, which meant no further strain on her shoulder or the injured biceps tendon. The semifinal loss, which came by armbar, had left her unsure whether she could even step onto the mat for the bronze match, she said. The Youth Olympic Team Austria’s physio, doctor and mental coach helped her through those difficult minutes, and Stump cheered from the stands. By the time of the final she was ready, she said.
What the Medal Means After a Hard Season
Wögerer said she was relieved that a medal at a major event had finally come, especially after what she called a very difficult year. Missing the Youth World Championships in Ecuador because of the elbow injury still hurts, she said. Ending the judo year with a medal felt good after the hard months the injury brought. “I’m back. That’s a good feeling,” she said.
Remaining Days in Dakar
Before the team’s return flight, the Austrian delegation planned a lion safari early Wednesday morning, support for the men’s beach volleyball final in the afternoon, and a trip into central Dakar on Thursday, according to Wögerer.
Focus on 2027 and a Healthy Junior Season
Looking ahead to 2027, Wögerer said the most important thing is staying healthy and starting her first junior season as well as possible. Her coach Stump and national coach Dengg accompanied her in Dakar, where the Youth Olympic Games brought together Austria’s young athletes across multiple sports, including beach volleyball.
“It’s nice to be able to end the judo year with a medal,” Wögerer said, “especially after the last months were pretty hard because of the elbow injury.”
