Muchirahondo Claims Historic Gold in Dakar
Day One Wrap – 2026 Youth Olympic Games
Ariel Muchirahondo (Swim Rotorua – coached by Aidan Withington) opened the New Zealand team’s campaign in Dakar in style, winning the men’s 200m backstroke to claim his first international title and become the first New Zealand swimmer to stand on the top step of the Youth Olympic Games podium.
The win came just a day after the Rotorua teen carried the New Zealand flag at the opening ceremony, alongside New Zealand table tennis player Angel Han.
Muchirahondo was in a league of his own in the final, leading from start to finish to clock 1:59.15, just 0.08 seconds outside his own 17 years New Zealand age record. He finished more than 3.5 seconds clear of silver medallist Parsa Shahshahani (Iran), with Nikolaos Papatheodorou (Greece) taking bronze.
"It’s just adrenaline, shock, happiness," Muchirahondo said. "It's pretty tricky to describe it. I just feel on top of the world, I'd say." "The race hurt, but it was worth it. It's always worth it in the end. This is just a testament to the work I've put in. When you do something 100 times in training, it becomes natural."
He becomes the third New Zealand swimmer to reach the podium at a Youth Olympic Games, and the first male, joining Gabrielle Fa’amausili and Bobbi Gichard, who won bronze in the 50m and 100m backstroke, respectively, in 2014.
Day two of racing in Dakar will see Alyssa Lawson (Hamilton Aquatics / St Andrew's) line up in the women’s 100m freestyle. Muchirahondo will be back in the pool on day three for the men's 100m backstroke.
Live coverage is available on olympics.com, with daily highlights on Sky Sport. See your TV guide for more information.
Daily schedule
Entries and start times are subject to change.
*Progression to finals subject to qualification.
Day Two – Monday 2 November
Heats from 10:00am local, 11:00pm NZDT
11:20pm NZDT – Women's 100m freestyle heat – Alyssa Lawson
Finals from 3:00pm local, 4:00am NZDT (3 November NZDT)
4:00am NZDT – Women's 100m freestyle final – Alyssa Lawson*
Day Three – Tuesday 3 November
Heats from 10:00am local, 11:00pm NZDT
11:51pm NZDT – Men's 100m backstroke heat – Ariel Muchirahondo
Finals from 3:00pm local, 4:00am NZDT (4 November NZDT)
4:03am NZDT – Men's 100m backstroke final – Ariel Muchirahondo*
Day Four – Wednesday 4 November
Heats from 10:00am local, 11:00pm NZDT
11:16pm NZDT – Women's 50m freestyle heat – Alyssa Lawson
11:45pm NZDT – Men's 200m individual medley heat – Ariel Muchirahondo
Finals from 3:00pm local, 4:00am NZDT (5 November NZDT)
4:00am NZDT – Women's 50m freestyle final – Alyssa Lawson*
4:29am NZDT – Men's 200m individual medley final – Ariel Muchirahondo*
Day Five – Thursday 5 November
Heats from 10:00am local, 11:00pm NZDT
11:06pm NZDT – Women's 50m backstroke heat – Alyssa Lawson
Finals from 3:00pm local, 4:00am NZDT (6 November NZDT)
4:00am NZDT – Women's 50m backstroke final – Alyssa Lawson*
Day Six – Friday 6 November
Heats from 10:00am local, 11:00pm NZDT (6 November NZDT)
11:36pm NZDT – Men's 200m freestyle heat – Ariel Muchirahondo
Finals from 3:30pm local, 4:30am NZDT (7 November NZDT)
4:34am NZDT – Men's 200m freestyle final – Ariel Muchirahondo*
Results by Swimmer
Ariel Muchirahondo (Swim Rotorua) – 1 x GOLD
Men's 200m backstroke – gold medal (final: 1:59.15; heat: 2:02.06)
Men's 100m backstroke
Men's 200m individual medley
Men's 200m freestyle
Alyssa Lawson (Hamilton Aquatics / St Andrew's)
Women's 100m freestyle
Women's 50m freestyle
Women's 50m backstroke
New Zealand team
Name | Club | Role |
Aidan Withington | Swim Rotorua | Head Coach |
Name | Club | Coach |
Alyssa Lawson | Hamilton Aquatics & St Andrew's | Ash Delaney (AUS) |
Ariel Muchirahondo | Swim Rotorua | Aidan Withington |
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