Greece’s Nikolaos Papatheodorou and Portugal’s Miguel Reis Oliveira made history at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, sharing the gold medal in a thrilling men’s 50m backstroke final after finishing with an identical time of 25.69 seconds.

In a dramatic race at the swimming pool in Dakar on Thursday, 5 November, the two young swimmers could not be separated, with the official timing confirming an exact tie and awarding both athletes the title of Youth Olympic champion.

Belgium’s Alexander Wilfried O. van Hoey Billiet claimed the bronze medal in 25.91 seconds, just 0.22 seconds behind the joint winners.

Papatheodorou produced an impressive performance throughout the competition. He had already shown his potential in the morning heats, recording 26.03 seconds to qualify for the final, while Oliveira clocked 26.06 seconds. Both swimmers saved their best for the decisive race, improving their times by more than three tenths of a second to finish together at the top of the podium.

The gold medal completed an outstanding performance by the Greek swimmer in Dakar. Papatheodorou finished the Youth Olympic Games with three medals in the backstroke events, winning:

Gold: 50m backstroke

Silver: 100m backstroke

Bronze: 200m backstroke

Oliveira also celebrated his second medal at the Games. The Portuguese swimmer had previously claimed bronze in the men’s 100m backstroke in 56.24 seconds, before producing his golden performance in the 50m final.

The final in Dakar provided a wonderful example of the competitive spirit of the Youth Olympic Games. Greece and Portugal shared the highest step of the podium, with two young talents crowned champions after a race in which not even the smallest fraction of a second could separate them.

 Photo: OIS/Jon Buckle. Handout image supplied by OIS/IOC