Rising Lionesses cruise past Senegal as Baseball5 and Judo campaigns take different turns

Kenya’s Rising Lionesses booked their place in the semifinal of the Dakar 2026 Summer Youth Olympic Games, after registering a commanding 19–0 victory over hosts Senegal in their second Pool A match.

The Under-18 side, captained by Diana Wanjiku, followed up their opening 12–5 win over China with another disciplined display, keeping Senegal scoreless to register a second consecutive victory.

In the opening match against China, Evalyne Afande and Micheal Mmboga scored the tries that secured Kenya’s win. Afande, a product of Kinale Girls — the national school rugby champions — has been among the young players making their mark on the Olympic stage.

The Rising Lionesses now turn their attention to their final Pool A encounter against Australia on Tuesday at 1:02 p.m. EAT, a crucial fixture as they seek to maintain their winning run and secure a place in the next stage of the competition.

“Today’s two matches were tough but we managed to win them all. We started the first match with motivation, but we pushed through the second through encouragement by our coach,” said player Josphine Kerubo.

Meanwhile, Kenya’s mixed Baseball5 team will have to settle for a shot at bronze after losing 2–0 to Cuba in the semi-finals.

The defeat ended Kenya’s unbeaten group-stage run, during which the team recorded victories over France, Mexico and Syria to book its place in the last four.

Cuba, however, proved too strong in the semi-final, denying Kenya a place in the gold-medal match.

The Kenyans will now look to finish their maiden Youth Olympic Baseball5 campaign on the podium in the bronze-medal contest.

In judo, Rael Kuloba’s Dakar 2026 campaign came to an end after she lost her repechage contest to Boubacar Ousamane of Côte d’Ivoire at the Dakar Expo Centre.

Kuloba had been given another opportunity to progress after her Round of 16 defeat to Viktoria Grigoryan. She made a spirited start against Ousamane, taking a 1–0 lead, but was unable to hold on for victory.

The Kenyan judoka described the experience as an important learning opportunity, particularly after competing in the new under-52kg category. She now plans to work on her pace, timing and technical skills ahead of future competitions.

Her coach, Johnson Kirimo, praised her effort and progress, saying the experience would provide a valuable foundation as she continues developing in the weight category.

Dakar 2026 marks the first time the Youth Olympic Games are being hosted on African soil. The competition runs until November 13.