Zhang Yixin claims youth Olympic gold in Dakar
Two medals returned to the Chinese delegation from the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, after badminton competition concluded early in the morning, Beijing time. National youth team singles players Hong Tianyue and Zhang Yixin both reached their respective tournament finals, with Zhang capturing the women’s singles title and Hong taking bronze in the men’s division.
Youth Olympic history and the road to Dakar
The Youth Olympic Games arrived in Africa for the first time with this fourth edition in Dakar, following previous host cities Singapore in 2010, Nanjing in 2014, and Buenos Aires in 2018. The event originally scheduled for 2022 faced delays due to pandemic conditions and related factors before taking place in Senegal’s capital. Badminton featured men’s and women’s singles draws under a best-of-three, 21-point scoring system, with each national delegation limited to one entry per discipline.
Chinese players reach semifinals before Hong falls to Marhan
Both Chinese representatives arrived in Dakar holding continental or global junior credentials. Hong entered as this year’s Asian junior champion in men’s singles, while Zhang held the world junior crown in women’s singles. The pair swept through their preliminary round-robin groups without dropping a match before advancing directly to the quarterfinals, where both secured 2-0 victories over their opponents to reach the final four.
China collected one gold and one bronze in badminton at the #Dakar2026 Youth Olympic Games, as Zhang Yixin won a tense women's singles final and Hong Tianyue took men's singles bronze. Zhu Yuanling added a historic skateboarding gold, while Xie Yichen claimed the men's 50m… pic.twitter.com/A6lunT9W9n
The semifinal round halted the clean sweep when Hong faced UAE competitor Marhan. Hong dropped a tight opening game 22-24 before falling 13-21 in the second, sending him to the bronze medal match. On the women’s side, Zhang advanced to the gold medal match by dispatching Chinese Taipei’s Zheng Hanyun 21-11, 21-6.
Hong secures bronze against Park
Hong rebounded in the men’s singles third-place playoff against South Korea’s Park Jung-bin. The Chinese player secured the bronze medal by defeating Park 21-17, 21-12. In the men’s singles final, Marhan defeated France’s Madi in straight games to claim the gold medal for the United Arab Emirates.
China's Zhang Yixin rallied from a game down to defeat India's Tanvi Patri 15-21, 21-13, 26-24 in an 82-minute final on Thursday, claiming the women's singles badminton gold at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, while compatriot Hong Tianyue took bronze in the men's singles. pic.twitter.com/eRkSuvlNUE
A tense three-game battle for the women’s title
The women’s singles final tested the 17-year-old Zhang against 15-year-old Indian contender Patri. Patri established early offensive pressure to take the opening game 21-15. Zhang gradually pulled away through the middle stages of the second game for a 21-13 victory, forcing a decisive third game.
Zhang built a commanding 19-10 lead in the final game before her opponent mounted a sustained scoring run. After Zhang reached championship point at 20-15, Patri reeled off five consecutive points to level the score at 20-20. During the subsequent extension, the Indian player earned three separate championship points, all of which Zhang successfully saved under pressure before clinching a 26-24 win to secure the gold medal.
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