Mana Ishikawa of Japan becomes first Youth Olympic swimmer to win four gold medals
At the 2026 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Senegal, 17-year-old Mana Ishikawa of Japan became the first swimmer in Youth Olympic history to win four gold medals, completing the set on the penultimate night of racing in the girls’ 50m breaststroke. She touched in 31.76, a lifetime best, after earlier titles in the 100m and 200m breaststroke and the 200m individual medley. Thea Obeid gave Lebanon silver in 32.00; Hong Kong’s Wui Kiu Man took bronze in 32.04. Ishikawa told Olympics.com the programme had been tough after so many races, but that she had entered the final determined to win this distance.
Romania’s Daria-Mariuca Silisteanu added a second gold, taking the 50m backstroke in 27.93 after her 100m backstroke title. The winning time was a national record by 0.06 seconds. Korea’s Kim Seungwon was second in 28.21; Argentina’s Cecilia Dieleke took bronze in 28.83, adding to 50m and 100m backstroke bronzes and 200m backstroke gold at the same Games. Olympics.com reported that 16-year-old Kim could not walk for two months at the start of the year after lower-back paralysis, and that doctors, coaches and family urged her to quit. She also has 100m backstroke silver. She said she knew paralysis could return, chose rehabilitation, and hoped the medal would encourage others with similar injuries.
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