Nigeria’s hopes of winning a beach volleyball medal at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games have ended after Pamela Miyoum Bawa and Joy Lawrence lost to the Netherlands in the quarter-finals.
The Nigerian duo suffered a 2-0 defeat, losing 14-22, 16-21 to their Dutch opponents on Tuesday.
The Netherlands dominated the opening set, winning 22-14, before Nigeria mounted a stronger challenge in the second. However, the Dutch pair maintained their advantage to secure a 21-16 victory and advance to the semi-finals.
The defeat ended Nigeria’s campaign in the women’s beach volleyball event, despite the team’s impressive progress to the last eight.
Bawa and Lawrence had secured their quarter-final ticket with a straight-sets victory over Thailand, winning 21-16, 21-13 in their previous match.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s swimming campaign continued, with Kashope Obatoyinbo finishing fourth in Heat 7 of the men’s 100m freestyle in 53.81 seconds.
The 16-year-old placed 29th overall among 73 competitors and is scheduled to compete in the men’s 50m freestyle on Wednesday.
Tobiloba Omolola Akinsanmi finished fifth in her women’s 100m freestyle heat in 1:03.33 and failed to advance.
Nigeria have also suffered an early exit in table tennis, with Matthew Kuti and Favour Ojo eliminated in their preliminary-round matches.
The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, which began on October 31, will run until November 13, with Nigeria competing in six sports.
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