DAKAR. One plan, three races, three titles. On Friday 6 November, Egypt’s Ali Zain closed out the Youth Olympic Games swimming programme by winning the 200m butterfly, adding to his victories in the 100m and 50m. At 17, he leaves the Tour de l’Œuf pool with the clean sweep he set out to achieve and one of the standout performances by an African athlete at these Games.

One plan, three races

It began on Sunday 1 November, the first day of finals. In the 100m butterfly, Ali Zain led at the halfway turn in 24.18 seconds and touched in 52.16, the only swimmer in the final to break 54 seconds. It was Africa’s first gold of the Games. On Wednesday 4 November, he won the 50m butterfly in 24.06, becoming the first African athlete to win two gold medals in Dakar.

The 200m was still to come. After winning his heat in 2:04.31, he rounded off the week with a time of 1:57.88, ahead of Vietnam’s Duong Van Hoang Quy and India’s Tirthank Pegu. He had swept all three butterfly distances.

A clear plan and a cool head

At the finish, the emotion took over. He told reporters he was “speechless” and called it “a huge moment” for both himself and his country. He said he felt no pressure going into the competition and focused on his race and the joy of swimming. Asked when he knew he was going to win, he joked that he knew on the starting blocks.

“That was absolutely my goal from the start. That’s what I trained for.”

Behind that easy confidence was careful preparation. Ali Zain said he had a detailed plan to win all three events and was “100%” confident from the start. His favourite title was the 100m, which he described as “extraordinary”, though he said all his races felt “incredible”.

A “completely different” atmosphere

The sweep carried special meaning because it came on African soil, at the Tour de l’Œuf Olympic pool, one of the venues renovated for the Games. The young Egyptian praised the energy in the stands and the scale of the event.

“The atmosphere was completely different. Everything was fantastic.”

The week also confirmed Egypt’s strong showing in Dakar. At the end of day six, Egypt led the African nations in the medal table with four golds, including Ali Zain’s three in the pool.

A name to remember

At 17, Ali Zain brings home three gold medals for Egypt and shows what young African athletes can achieve on home soil in front of their Olympic family. Dakar 2026 has brought a young talent to the attention of the swimming world, and Africa can claim him as one of the faces of his generation.