DOUBLE GOLD IN DAKAR! Rosemary Nwankwo & Gift Bright Sweep Youth Olympic 100m Golds - Nigeria Makes History Again!
Sports | Youth Excellence | Diaspora News
Less than 24 hours after our Flamingos won the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in Morocco, our young sprinters have done it again in Senegal!
On Sunday, 8th November 2026, at the Complexe Iba Mar Diop in Dakar, Rosemary Chigozie Nwankwo and Gift Bright won GOLD in the girls' and boys' 100m finals at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.
Nigeria is now the FIRST COUNTRY EVER to win BOTH the men's and women's 100m titles at the same Youth Olympic Games!
THE GOLDEN GIRL - ROSEMARY NWANKWO:
17-year-old Rosemary Nwankwo started the golden day for Nigeria.
She commanded the girls' 100m final from start to finish and stopped the clock in 11.16 seconds (wind +2.4 m/s).
Results - Girls' 100m Final:
🥇 Gold: Rosemary Nwankwo (Nigeria) - 11.16s
🥈 Silver: Arwa Ali (UAE) - 11.41s
🥉 Bronze: Dana Salem (Qatar) 11.48s.
Rosemary is now the THIRD Nigerian girl to win this title, following in the footsteps of greats:
Josephine Omaka - Singapore 2010;
Rosemary Chukwuma - Buenos Aires 2018;
Rosemary Nwankwo - Dakar 2026
She had already shown her form in the semi-final, winning her heat in 11.53s
THE GOLDEN BOY - GIFT BRIGHT:
Less than 10 minutes later, it was the turn of the boys!
15-year-old Gift Bright - the youngest in the field - stormed to victory in the boys' 100m final in a Personal Best of 10.28 seconds (wind +1.7 m/s).
Results - Boys' 100m Final:
🥇 Gold: Gift Bright (Nigeria) - 10.28s PB
🥈 Silver: Zhang Hangyu (China) - 10.57s
🥉 Bronze: Szymon Dolega (Poland) - 10.61s
Gift is the FIRST Nigerian EVER to win the boys' 100m title at the Youth Olympic Games.
He had already posted the fastest qualifying time in the semi-final with 10.34s.
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MOMENT:
The Olympics themselves shared the most emotional video of the day.
After winning her own gold,
Rosemary stood by the side of the track, wrapped in the Nigerian flag, and cheered Gift on as he won his gold.
Just like in 1992 in Barcelona, when our women won bronze in the 4x100m relay and stayed to cheer our men to silver, history repeated itself in Dakar. Our girl cheered our boy to gold!
That is the true Nigerian spirit - We rise together!
First country to sweep both 100m golds at Youth Olympics
Nigeria's first two gold medals at Dakar 2026
Gift Bright - First Nigerian boy to win 100m at Youth Olympics
Rosemary Nwankwo - Third Nigerian girl to win 100m at Youth Olympics
Coming just 24 hours after the Flamingos' World Cup win, Nigeria is on fire!
he Director-General of the National Sports Commission, Hon. Bukola Olopade, said it best: "Winning the Youth Olympics is like the Flamingos winning the World Cup. All of these in 24hrs."
Reacting to the historic double, the President of NYCN Spain Chapter and Chairman, NYCN Diaspora Alliance, Dr. Chris Nkem, said:
"What a weekend for Nigeria! First, our Flamingos conquer the world in Morocco, now our sprinters conquer Dakar. "Rosemary, you ran like a queen. Gift, your name is Bright and your future is BRIGHT! At 17 and 15 years old, you have shown the world that Nigerian youths are the fastest, the strongest, and the most talented."
"This is what we mean when we say: We Empower, We Inspire, We Uplift. We celebrate you. The whole diaspora in Spain is proud of you. Keep running, keep shining, keep making Nigeria proud!
Naija No Dey Carry Last!
From Rabat to Dakar, from football to athletics, Nigerian youths are showing the world who we are.
Congratulations Rosemary Nwankwo! Congratulations Gift Bright! Congratulations Team Nigeria!Nigeria to the World!
We Empower, We Inspire, We Uplift.
Dr. Chris Nkem
President, NYCN Spain Chapter
Chairman, NYCN Diaspora Alliance
Tags: #Dakar2026 #YouthOlympics #RosemaryNwankwo #GiftBright #TeamNigeria #NYCNDiasporaAlliance #NaijaNoDeyCarryLast
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