JOJ Dakar 2026: Egyptian Ali Zain secures Africa's first gold medal.

From our special correspondent in Dakar,

Less than two hours after South Africa's Leah Markgraaff won silver in the 400m freestyle, Ali Zain secured gold in a final he dominated from start to finish. The young Pharaoh took the lead right from the start and extended his advantage during the last 50 meters. At the finish, he outpaced Slovenia's Kalan Aleksej by nearly two seconds (52.16 seconds to 54.03 seconds), a display of dominance that even surprised the Egyptian. “Honestly, it was really incredible. It was extraordinary. Touching the wall and being first at the Youth Olympic Games is something huge. It was truly amazing,” said the Olympic champion after receiving his medal.

Always smiling, Zain has an impressive physique with well-developed muscles and defined shoulders. However, his journey in swimming has been somewhat unpredictable. “At first, I didn’t know how to swim. I would just go to the pool and dive into the water. I started swimming just to learn how to float, that was it,” he admits.

Today, more than 5,000 km from his home country, he reflects on the journey he has taken. “Four years ago, I was far from being here. I was very behind. I just worked hard and believed in myself. That’s the key. From start to finish, the journey has been tough. It wasn’t easy. I would wake up at 4 a.m. to train. Everything was hard, from training to competition. I had to invest myself every day. It was incredible. I wasn’t prepared to experience such a moment.”

His coach, Amr Elsayed, has been part of this process for several years. Together, they continue the legacy of Egyptian performances at the Youth Olympic Games: Ahmed Akram's gold in the 800m freestyle in Nanjing 2014 and Abdelrahman Sameh's bronze in the 50m freestyle in Buenos Aires 2018.

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Predecessors, but Zain insists he does not define himself in relation to role models. “I want to be myself, honestly. I don’t want to be ‘the next so-and-so’. I want to be the first Zain,” he emphasizes.

His speech remains thoughtful, but his aspirations are clear: aiming for the Los Angeles Games, with a specific goal in mind. He dreams of bringing Egypt its first Olympic medal in swimming. To top off this day, Ali Zain had the chance to meet Senegalese-Italian influencer Khaby Lame, who embraced him and encouraged him by saying, “This is the first medal of a long series.”

See you in Los Angeles…