Dakar 2026 Gymnastics Debut Features Nishihara and Global Juniors
Japan’s Nishihara Ikki is targeting both the men’s all-around and the inaugural team titles at the upcoming Youth Olympic Games. The gymnastics competition runs from November 7 to 11 at the Dakar Expo Centre, marking the first time team events appear on the Youth Olympic program.
Nishihara enters the competition as the reigning Asian junior men’s all-around champion after breaking the 82-point barrier at the continental championships earlier this year. Gold medals in both the team and individual all-around,
Nishihara said regarding his objectives for the event.
The 16-year-old gymnast aims to join past Japanese all-around champions Kamoto Yuya, who won at Singapore 2010, and Kitazono Takeru, victorious at Buenos Aires 2018. However, the Japanese squad faces a fierce challenge from China, setting up a direct rivalry for the team gold medal.
The international field features several continental and world junior titleholders. Minamino Yume arrives as the 2025 women’s world junior all-around champion, while Zhong Qi holds the Asian women’s junior all-around crown. European competitors include Russian junior champion Daniil Smirnov and European junior silver medallist Polina Dmitrieva. Uzair Chowdhury, part of Great Britain’s gold-medal-winning team at the 2026 European junior championships, also joins the lineup alongside 2025 world junior medallist Yang Lanbin of China.
Smirnov acknowledged the attention surrounding his recent results following the European championships. Am I considered a favourite? It doesn’t bother me. On the contrary, it gives me confidence and a desire to give my best at the start,
Smirnov said.
Dakar 2026 Gymnastics Schedule Features Mixed Team Event
The gymnastics schedule at Dakar 2026 spans five days of competition from November 7 to 11. Medals will be awarded across individual all-around categories and the newly introduced men’s and women’s team events. The program concludes with a mixed team event that will also feature at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
Nishihara stated that his preparation focuses on execution and consistency rather than introducing major technical changes to his routines. I want to continue to show my signature style of clean and precise gymnastics, so I can maximise my execution score,
Nishihara said. I do feel a bit of pressure, but more than that, I’m really happy because it means people are paying attention to me and my performance.
Chowdhury expressed similar anticipation for the team events at the Dakar Expo Centre. I can’t wait to get out there on the floor with the team and show everyone what we’ve got,
Chowdhury said. My goals for the Youth Olympic Games are to bring back a team medal, and to become the Youth Olympic all-around champion.
Other regional medallists set to compete include Italy’s Clarissa Rinaldi, Aniela Tudor of Romania, and France’s Louane Plisson, rounding out a deep international field for the November fixtures.
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