Graphics by Alfred Espiña

Naomi Marjorie Cesar captured silver in the women’s 800-meter final, delivering the Philippines’ first medal at the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games at the Complexe Iba Mar Diop Stadium in Dakar, Senegal, Tuesday, November 10.

The 17-year-old Filipina runner clocked 2:09.34 to finish second behind Ethiopia’s Netsanet Selemon, who claimed gold in 2:04.43, while Morocco’s Khadija Elmostaqim took bronze in 2:10.05.

With 200 meters remaining, Cesar trailed three runners before mounting a late comeback and unleashing a strong finishing kick to secure second place.

Cesar advanced to the final after placing third in her semifinal heat with a time of 2:20.16.

In an interview with POC Media after the race, Cesar explained how she trusted her strategy and saved her energy for the closing stages.

“I was kind of waiting for the end to just turn it on and go. And just tell myself, when I start, I know no one can catch me and I can catch whoever I set my eyes on. So I just trusted in myself,” Cesar said.

“I saw them in front of me and I was like, I worked so hard for this, I’m not gonna go home in fourth,” she added.

The silver marked the Philippines’ second officially credited medal in Youth Olympic Games history, following kiteboarder Christian Tio’s silver-medal finish at the 2018 Buenos Aires edition.

Cesar also became the first Filipina to win a Youth Olympic medal and the country’s first athletics medalist in the competition, marking a breakthrough for Philippine track and field on the international stage.

Article by Ellie Cabalhin