By: Madi Senghore
Gambian teenage swimmer Fatou D. Sabally is set to represent The Gambia at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, taking another significant step in her developing sporting career.
Born in August 2011, Sabally has emerged as one of the country’s promising young swimmers, gaining experience through domestic and international competitions.
Representing the SBEC Swimming Team, she made an early impression at the Inter-School Championships, where she won one gold and two silver medals.
Her performances earned her an opportunity to compete internationally, making her debut at the African Swimming Championships in Algeria in May 2026, where she participated in the 50-metre breaststroke.
Sabally continued her development at the Zone 2 African Aquatics Championships in Dakar in July, competing in the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle and 50m breaststroke events, while recording new personal bests.
She has also gained experience in open-water swimming, completing the 4.5-kilometre Dakar-Gorée swimming challenge in 2 hours and 36 minutes.
The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games will provide Sabally with another opportunity to compete at an international level as she continues her development in the sport.
The swimming competition is scheduled for 1-6 November 2026, with Sabally expected to be among The Gambia’s representatives at the first Youth Olympic Games to be held on African soil.