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China win first Olympic gold in rowing coastal beach sprints at Dakar 2026

SU Juntao and LIU Lili took mixed double sculls gold at Saly Beach West on Monday.

By , Editor

· 2 min read

Dakar 2026
Dakar 2026 (file photo) Photo: 4MAPS / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

China won the first Olympic gold medal in rowing coastal beach sprints at Dakar 2026. SU Juntao and LIU Lili won the mixed double sculls final at Saly Beach West.

Key takeaways

  • China won the first Olympic gold medal in rowing coastal beach sprints at Dakar 2026
  • SU Juntao and LIU Lili won the mixed double sculls gold at Saly Beach West
  • Austria took silver in the mixed double sculls final
  • France won bronze after beating Ukraine by 0.65 seconds
  • The event continues on Tuesday with men's and women's solo medals

China won the first Olympic gold medal in rowing coastal beach sprints at Dakar 2026 on Monday at Saly Beach West. SU Juntao and LIU Lili took gold in the mixed double sculls, beating Austria in the final.

The pair had looked in a different class throughout the tournament but did not take the final for granted. SU said both athletes were very strong, giving them an advantage, and that they saw Austria behind them while following clear guidance from their coach.

LIU said they were tired because they just came back from the world championships and they didn’t get any rest. LIU said she was actually quite nervous before it started. The Austrian pair, Lukas SCHOENHUBER and Alena LUX, were euphoric with second place.

LUX said they left everything on the course and called it great to reach the silver medal. SCHOENHUBER said he could not imagine it was real, that he knew this morning it was possible, and that it was tough.

The bronze medal contest between Elisa GUILLOTON and Raphael de BOUSSAC of France and Mykola TOMCHAI and Viktoriia RADCHENKO of Ukraine was the race of the YOG so far. 65 seconds.

de BOUSSAC said it was a crazy thing, a historic first, and truly an honour that it’s for us, adding that this year no one knew us, or believed in us, and that doing it in Senegal with the spirit around them made it magical.

TOMCHAI said it was a big and wonderful experience, especially given circumstances at home.

He said Ukraine could not train normally because of the war, that without war they could go to the sea and train in the waves, but now they were in the river with no conditions like the competition.

He said part of a drone or a missile had fallen next to him in the river and that air alerts forced them straight off the water because they felt scared.

There were also surprises in the individual last 16 knockout races, with strong favourite Iason MOUSELIMIS of Greece eliminated by de BOUSSAC.

Chris BAK of the USA, an Athlete Role Model for the sport and the most decorated beach sprint athlete ever, said it had been truly an excellent and amazing experience and that they are an inspiration to us.

Rowing coastal beach sprints continues on Tuesday at Saly Beach West.

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