Xie, Chang add 2 silvers for China in swimming at Dakar 2026

DAKAR, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- China's Xie Yichen took silver in the men's 100m freestyle on Monday at the fourth Summer Youth Olympic Games, while compatriot Chang Mohan also finished second in the women's 200m breaststroke.

Following the morning heats, the finals in the men's and women's 100m freestyle and 200m breaststroke events began at around 3 p.m. local time.

In the men's 100m freestyle, 16-year-old Xie finished second in Heat 10 with a time of 51.36 seconds, just 0.75 seconds behind Russia's Bogdan Toropkin.

The pair met again in the final, reaching the 50m mark almost simultaneously, but the 17-year-old Russian pulled ahead over the second half of the race to claim gold in 49.66 seconds.

Xie finished second in 50.18, while Chinese Taipei's Lee Han took bronze in 50.26.

"I'd give myself a score of 85 to 90 out of 100 for my performance. I definitely need to make some adjustments. I still have more opportunities ahead, and I'm confident I can make them count," he said.

In the women's 200m breaststroke, Japan's Mana Ishikawa made a fast start to take the lead. Despite Chang's push on the third length, Ishikawa held on to win in 2:26.50, finishing 0.71 seconds ahead of her Chinese rival.

The 15-year-old Chinese swimmer, who arrived in Dakar only days earlier, said she was still adjusting to the local climate and recovering from jet lag.

"As the temperature rose, it became easier to get myself going, but also easier to get carried away. Then my condition became unstable," said Chang.

"I fell a bit short of my goal today, but I hope to stand on the top step of the podium. Having gone through today's experience, I'm confident I can keep building momentum and perform even better in the upcoming events," she added.

Elsewhere, Croatia's Ana Bobanovic won the women's 100m freestyle title in 55.89, followed by New Zealand's Alyssa Lawson and India's Dhinidhi Desinghu.

"I really did not expect it. I came into the event and really wanted to win ... We're not a swimming nation and that a female got the first medal for the country is absolutely amazing. I feel so proud of myself. I broke my personal record by like 0.3. I put so much work into the year," Desinghu said.

In the final swimming event of the day, Iori Miyazaki won the men's 200m breaststroke in 2:12.33.