Team SA’s only rower wins its first gold at Dakar 2026
SALY — Callum Dreyer, a 16-year-old Hilton College learner and South Africa’s only rower at the Dakar Youth Olympic Games, won three knockout races on Tuesday to claim Team SA’s first gold. He saved his fastest race for the boys’ solo coastal beach sprint final, beating Spain’s Diego Molina Martinez in 2 minutes 15.65 seconds at Saly Beach in Senegal.
Dreyer’s first opponent on Tuesday was Ondrej Zizka of Czechia. The South African won their quarter-final in 2:24.52, the second-fastest time across the four races, then secured his place in the gold medal race with a semi-final win in 2:29.35. The three rounds followed in quick succession, yet Dreyer completed the final nearly nine seconds faster than his quarter-final and almost 14 seconds faster than his semi-final.
Gold on the event’s Youth Olympic debut
Coastal beach sprints made their Youth Olympic debut at Saly Beach West, where the rowers raced on the Atlantic. The discipline combines running on sand with rowing at sea. Hungary’s Adam Moor took bronze and, according to Team SA’s race report, recorded the nearest time to Dreyer’s winning performance. His 2:23.57 was still almost eight seconds slower than the South African’s final.
Dreyer’s victory brought South Africa’s medal tally to four at the time of his finish. Swimmer Leah Markgraaff had won silver in the girls’ 400m freestyle, the boys’ rugby sevens side had also taken silver, and Chanel Veldsman had earned bronze in the girls’ 200m breaststroke. Rowing supplied the team’s first title of the Games.
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