Kenya stun Australia in golden-point extra time to claim Youth Olympics sevens gold

Kenya claimed their first-ever Olympic gold medal with a dramatic 17-12 extra-time victory over Australia in the women’s rugby sevens final at Complexe Iba Mar Diop in Dakar, Senegal, at the 2026 Youth Summer Olympics. Mitchelle Chemtai scored the decisive golden-point try in the corner to complete a remarkable comeback and etch the Rising Lionesses into Kenyan sporting history.

Australia, who had topped Group A and entered the final as favourites, twice led through tries from Darci Mackay and Grace Buchanan. Kenya responded through captain Zain Hido and Josephine Kerubo to level at 12-12 at full time, before an Australian yellow card and a series of compounding errors in extra time opened the door for Chemtai’s winning score.

The turnaround was all the more remarkable given Kenya had trailed 12-5 at one stage. “When we saw we were 12-5 down, we had already given up,” Hido told OIS. “But our coach told us to remember what we came here to do. We just told ourselves, ‘Let’s have fun and do what we always do best — play rugby. That gave us hope, and a little hope is better than nothing.”

Hido also spoke to the weight of the moment for her team. “We are the first Kenya team to win an Olympic gold medal. It will give us scholarships, sponsorships. As girls under 18, we have a life to live and this was the only chance we had to make our lives better.”

The result was a bitter end for Australia, who had beaten Kenya 17-5 in the pool stages and defeated Czechia 19-10 in the semi-final. Their failure to convert dominance into gold will sting, but the day ultimately belonged to African rugby.

In the bronze medal match, Madagascar defeated Czechia 26-10 to complete an extraordinary day for the continent. Soa Landy, Princia Ranaivoson and Sariaka Raveloarisoa all scored as Madagascar — who had topped Group B before losing to Kenya in the semi-final — secured not only their first rugby sevens medal but the first Olympic medal in Madagascar’s history at any level.

“The match is a surprise for us, because no one dared to hope that we would be the winner,” Ranaivoson said. “But now we are on top of the world, and we are so happy.”

Madagascar head coach Dina Manandraibe added: “It’s truly incredible. We hoped to reach the podium, but it’s incredible that it’s happening today. There was a tremendous amount of effort and many sacrifices to get here.”

With Kenya taking gold and Madagascar bronze, the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympics women’s rugby sevens competition stands as a landmark moment for African rugby’s rapid rise on the global stage.