Kazakh judoka Fatima Supygalieva became the champion of the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar. Her gold in the under-52 kg weight category was the first medal for the Kazakhstan team at the tournament. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
Victory in the final
In the final, Supygalieva faced Portugal's Sofia Gaspar. The Kazakh athlete finished the decisive bout early, winning by ippon.
Road to the final
Before the final, Supygalieva also did not allow her opponents to complete full matches. In the quarterfinals, she defeated Jimena Morales Gamboa of Costa Rica by ippon.
In the semifinals, the Kazakh athlete faced Slovakia's Vivien Vadowiczova. Supygalieva again secured an early victory by ippon and advanced to the decisive bout.
World ranking position
At the start of the Youth Olympic Games, Supygalieva held first place in the world ranking among cadets in the under-52 kg category.
World championship in August
In August, Supygalieva became the world champion among cadets in Ecuador. In the final of the under-52 kg category, the Kazakh athlete defeated Ukraine's Ksenia Kirilchuk and won the world championship for the first time in her career.
About Dakar 2026
The IV Summer Youth Olympic Games are being held in Senegal from October 31 to November 13. Dakar 2026 became the first Olympic sporting event in history to be hosted by Africa.
About 2,700 young athletes are participating in the Games. The program features 25 competitive sports and 153 medal events, with competitions taking place in Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly.