“Africa welcomes, Dakar celebrates” – this was the slogan that greeted the first athletes at the Dakar Youth Summer Olympic Games. Although the competition is already underway, track and field fans will have to wait a little longer, as the athletics events don’t begin until next weekend. Lithuania will be represented in athletics by three athletes: high jumper Redas Šiuipys, race walker Justė Andrijauskaitė, and sprinter Simona Šlapšinskaitė.
A historic event
The 2026 Dakar Youth Summer Olympic Games mark a special moment in the history of Olympic sport. For the first time, a Youth Olympic event is being held on the African continent. The Games were originally scheduled for 2022 but were postponed to 2026 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After a long wait, Dakar has finally welcomed young athletes from around the world.
Around 2,700 athletes aged 15 to 17 are taking part in the Games, competing in 25 sports. Lithuania’s team includes 14 athletes. Our country’s representatives have already won three medals, and attention is now turning to the athletics competition.
All three Lithuanian athletes are seventeen years old. Ahead of what may be the most important competition of their careers so far, they trained at a camp in Monte Gordo, Portugal, and are now preparing to travel to Dakar, the capital of Senegal.
Ready for competition
Among the Lithuanian athletes, R. Šiuipys has achieved the strongest result in international competition this year. In July, at the European U18 Championships final in Rieti, Italy, the high jumper cleared 2.09 m, finishing fourth and narrowly missing out on a medal. Redas is heading to Dakar with high ambitions and makes no secret of his goals: “I’m determined to fight all the way to a medal.”
J. Andrijauskaitė will compete in the 5,000 m race walk in Dakar. The young athlete already has experience competing at an Olympic Movement event, having finished ninth at the 2025 European Youth Olympic Festival in Skopje. At this year’s European U18 Championships, Justė finished fourteenth. Ahead of the start, the athlete has set herself high goals and mentions the Dakar heat. “My goal is to give it my all and aim for as high a finish as possible. I wish myself strength, endurance, and hope the weather conditions won’t stop me from showing what I can do,” Justė says with a smile.
S. Šlapšinskaitė will compete in the 400 m sprint in Dakar. Like Justė, she took part in last year’s European Youth Olympic Festival in Skopje. At the European U18 Championships in July, Simona finished 34th. Ahead of the upcoming race, the sprinter is feeling positive. “I’m feeling good, and I’ll be aiming for the best possible result and as high a finish as I can get. I wish myself courage and determination,” Simona sums up.
Schedule of Lithuanian athletes’ events:
November 8, 6:20 PM – 400 m semifinals (S. Šlapšinskaitė competing)
November 9, 6:02 PM – High jump final (R. Šiuipys competing)
November 9, 6:50 PM – 400 m final (S. Šlapšinskaitė competing, if she qualifies)
November 10, 5:05 PM – 5,000 m race walk (J. Andrijauskaitė competing)
Live broadcast on Olympics.com and HBO Max, with daily competition highlights on LRT PLIUS (November 8 at 5:30 PM, November 9 and November 10 at 12:30 PM).
