Egyptian wushu kung fu athlete Sondos Sonbol made history on Tuesday, 3 November, after winning gold in the women’s Changquan combined event at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Senegal, becoming the country’s first athlete to win a Youth Olympic medal in the martial art.
Wushu is a Chinese martial art that combines traditional combat techniques with choreographed athletic movements, including kicks, jumps, punches and coordinated routines. It features different disciplines, some involving weapons and others performed without them.
Sonbol finished first with a combined score of 18.660 points, ahead of Venezuela’s Valeria Frannerys Dudamel Alvarado, who claimed silver with 18.199 points, and India’s Rajkumari Lanchenbi Chanu, who took bronze with 18.039 points, according to the official competition results.
The achievement also marked a milestone for wushu, which made its debut as an official medal sport at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar.
Sonbol Dominates Both Wushu Disciplines
Sonbol secured the top position in both disciplines of the women’s Changquan combined competition.
She began with Gunshu, a discipline involving choreographed routines performed with a staff, scoring 9.330 points to finish first.
She then maintained her lead in Changquan, a traditional northern Chinese martial arts discipline characterised by fast movements, jumps and kicks, earning another 9.330 points to secure the overall gold medal.
Her combined score of 18.660 placed her ahead of all competitors in the final.
Egypt’s Medal Tally Reaches Four
Egypt’s medal tally at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games is now four, including three gold medals and one bronze. Swimmer Zain Hisham Ali secured two gold medals in the men’s 100-metre and 50-metre butterfly events, while Sonbol claimed gold in women’s wushu. Judoka Ali El-Remaly won bronze in the men’s under-81kg category.
Egypt’s Minister of Youth and Sports, Gohar Nabil, congratulated Sonbol on her achievement, praising her performance and the efforts of the national team’s coaching staff.
He also commended the Egyptian Wushu Kung Fu Federation, headed by Sherif Mostafa, for its role in developing young sporting talent.
Dakar 2026 Marks First Olympic Event in Africa
The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, running from 31 October to 13 November, mark the first Olympic sporting event to be hosted on African soil.
Egypt is participating with a delegation of 45 athletes competing across 19 sports.
Sonbol’s gold adds to Egypt’s early successes at the Games, which will continue until 13 November, with the Egyptian delegation competing for further medals.
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