Türkiye’s Dunya Yenihayat poles and sets new Youth Games record at Dakar 2026
Dunya Yenihayat showed exactly why she is one of the favourites for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games as she put in a stellar pole-making performance in the recurve women under-18 qualifications.
Yenihayat, 17, is the most experienced of the women pool in Senegal, having shot and won medals for Türkiye’s senior team, which competes at 70 metres, 10 more than the standard for under-18 distance.
Her endeavours at the top level proved to be a difference-maker at the Abdoulaye Wade stadium as she not only became the recurve women number one seed but also set a new Youth Games record with a score of 688.
“The competition went very well for me,” said the Taranto 2026 Mediterranean Games gold medallist after the 72-arrow session was concluded. “The weather is really hot here but everyone here did their best. I tried to shoot nice arrows. I am very proud to represent our flag here. I feel so proud and happy.”
Her teammate Muhammet Musab Gülay also shot well in recurve men under-18 with a fine 673, which meant only Korea bettered the Turkish team in the mixed team rankings.
Kim Sumin in fact could’ve been ahead of Yenihayat in both categories as the Korean also dropped 688.
Despite getting more arrows in the 10-ring than the Puebla World Cup silver medallist, however, Yenihayat racked up 24 in the vital X, six more than Sumin’s 18, to hand herself the top seed and record.
India’s sole entry in the entire event, Gatha Anandrao Khadake, wasn’t too far behind the pair also with 687 and given that these three’s scores were far ahead of the rest’s in the morning session - which was baking in the Senegalese capital - as Sandra Perez Cumbreras of Spain’s fourth position from a 673 score, don’t be surprised if the weekend’s podiums could well be topped by these athletes.
Coincidentally, there was also a 688 tie at the top of the recurve men under-18 proceedings.
Ismail Ezzeldin and Chen Pin-An ended the session on the same score and it was the latter who just pipped to the top of the seedings, getting just four more Xs than his Egyptian counterpart.
Although just gut-wrenchingly missing the highest seed, the 2026 African under-18 champion Ezzeldin was still buzzing with the result.
“That’s huge for me,” he gleefully said. “It feels great to be shooting my first Olympic arrows. I’m hoping to do it in the big one as well in LA[28]. The Youth Olympics isn’t like any other competition: it’s all countries, all sports.”
“I kept telling myself to enjoy every arrow and I feel like I did. My mum will be really happy, she’s my biggest support.”
“My coach is really happy,” he added.
There was no mention of him in these post-qualification comments but Ezzeldin is undoubtedly aiming to repeat Ibrahim Sabry’s success.
Sabry is one of the most well-known archery exports from Egypt, having earned himself the honour as one of the very first Youth Olympic Games archery champions at Singapore 2010, the inaugural edition.
Ezzeldin and teammate Nouray Elsayed - 15th seed in the recurve women - can build on Sabry’s legacy tomorrow during their respective eliminations tomorrow morning.
Top seeds: Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games
Full results are available on the event page.
- Recurve men: Chen Pin-An, Chinese Taipei – 688 [15 Xs]
- Recurve women: Dunya Yenihayat, Türkiye – 688 [24 Xs]
