Barbelin excited to listen, share and support young archers at Dakar 2026

With 150 days to go until the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, Athlete Role Model Lisa Barbelin is preparing to help the next generation of archers navigate one of the most memorable experiences of their sporting careers.

The French Olympian was appointed as an Athlete Role Model for Dakar 2026 earlier this year and will be part of a group of experienced athletes available to competitors throughout the Games.

For Barbelin, the role is less about offering instruction and more about creating a space where young athletes feel comfortable asking questions and sharing their concerns.

“I was immediately very touched when my name was selected, because it was a great honour for me,” she said.

“This role is about sharing, listening and kindness.”

Barbelin said accepting the invitation was an easy decision.

“I’ve always had a desire to pass on what I’ve learned,” she explained. “What better way to do that than through the Youth Olympic Games?”

The Youth Olympic Games will be a new experience for Barbelin herself.

Although she competed at both the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where she won individual bronze on home soil, Barbelin never had the opportunity to experience the Youth Olympic Games herself due to age eligibility.

That unique perspective is one of the reasons she is looking forward to Dakar.

“I’ve already lived through two Olympic Games and I think there’s nothing more beautiful,” she said. “I’m looking forward to experiencing this event.”

The allocation of 64 archery quota places for Dakar 2026 means dozens of young athletes are now one step closer to competing at the first Olympic event ever held on African soil. As National Olympic Committees prepare to select their teams, Barbelin hopes to offer guidance that extends beyond competition results.

Her main piece of advice is simple.

“Believe in your dreams, even if people tell you they’re too big,” she said. “Nothing is too big or too ambitious if you give yourself the means to achieve it.”

Just as importantly, she wants athletes to understand that setbacks are a normal part of any sporting journey.

Looking back on her own career, Barbelin said she wished she had learned earlier that difficult periods are not failures but opportunities to grow.

“I would have liked to know that the lows are part of the game,” she said. “Going through a difficult period isn’t the end. What matters is bouncing back and finding solutions. It’s when you make that effort that you become better.”

Rather than presenting herself as a mentor with all the answers, Barbelin hopes to be someone athletes can approach openly throughout the Games.

“I would like to position myself as a friend, someone they can talk to about their future career,” she said.

“If athletes have questions, I’ll be there, but without taking up too much space. The athletes are the stars.”

That approach is rooted in the value she most hopes to embody in Dakar: respect.

“Respect for yourself, respect for your opponent and respect for the people around you,” she said. “For me, that’s essential to becoming a champion and, above all, a good person.”

Archery will feature 64 athletes at Dakar 2026, with 32 boys and 32 girls competing in individual events alongside a mixed team competition. The Games will take place from 31 October to 13 November in Senegal, becoming the first Olympic event held on African soil.

With the countdown to the Games now at 150 days, Barbelin summed up her feelings about Dakar 2026 in a two words:

“Can’t wait!”