Credit: Luxembourg Triathlon
On Thursday 5 November 2026, Luxembourg triathlete Emile Vanolst won a silver medal in the men's individual triathlon at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Senegal, securing Luxembourg's first-ever individual medal in the history of the Youth Olympic Games.
Emile Vanolst finished the race in 53:23, just ten seconds behind gold medallist Artur Gaspar of Portugal, who claimed victory in 53:13. Japan's Daiki Nishizaki completed the podium in third place with a time of 53:27, four seconds behind the Luxembourg athlete.
The seventeen-year-old Luxembourg triathlete remained among the leading competitors throughout the race. He completed the swimming section in 8:30, followed by the first transition in 21 seconds. He then recorded a cycling time of 28:19, matching the eventual winner's time for that section, before completing the second transition in 26 seconds. Emile Vanolst finished the running section in 15:47, recording the second-fastest run of the competition, five seconds behind Artur Gaspar.
Luxembourg Triathlon celebrated the result on social media, describing the silver medal as a historic achievement for Luxembourgish sport. The federation highlighted Emile Vanolst's strong swimming performance, controlled cycling section and impressive run on the challenging dirt roads in Senegal.
The achievement marks a milestone for Team Lëtzebuerg at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, where Luxembourg has sent three athletes to compete in three sports.
Luxembourg's other representative, table tennis player Aaron Sahr, concluded his participation in Dakar after losing his final group-stage match 3-1 to Spain's Vladimir Mayorov. The closely contested encounter ended with a 15-13 score in the fourth set, leaving Aaron Sahr without a place in the Round of 16. Meanwhile, cyclist June Nothum will compete in the women's road race on Sunday 8 November and the individual time trial on Tuesday 10 November 2026.
