Elsabet Amare targets gold for Ethiopia at Dakar 2026 Youth Olympics
The 17-year-old Ethiopian 1500m runner hopes to add to her country's strong Youth Olympic athletics record.
Ethiopia enters Dakar 2026 with 21 track and field medals from three Youth Olympic Games. Elsabet Amare, who ran an under-18 world-best mile this year, wants gold in November.
Key takeaways
- Ethiopia has won 21 athletics medals across three Youth Olympic Games.
- Elsabet Amare is a 17-year-old 1500m runner leading the Ethiopian team.
- She clocked an under-18 world-best mile of 4:23.78 this year.
- Dakar 2026 athletics runs from 8 to 10 November at Complexe Iba Mar Diop.
- Ethiopia aims to medal in every middle- and long-distance event for a third Games in a row.
Ethiopia’s athletics team will defend a strong Youth Olympic record when the Dakar 2026 competition begins in November. The distance-running powerhouse has the most track and field medals of any National Olympic Committee at the Youth Olympics, with 21 podium finishes from three Games so far.
At Nanjing 2014 and Buenos Aires 2018, Ethiopia reached the podium in every middle- and long-distance event—the 800m, 1500m, 3000m and 2000m steeplechase. The team has a shot at achieving that feat for a third Games in a row at Dakar 2026.
Elsabet Amare leads the Ethiopian squad
The team is led by 1500m runner Elsabet Amare, who admits she feels the weight of expectation that comes with Ethiopia’s strong athletics lineage. "I think about the athletes who have won in the past," the 17-year-old said.
"Having the opportunity to participate on a grand stage like the (Youth) Olympics, especially at this age, is a once-in-a-lifetime dream.
" She added that representing one’s nation carries the trust of the people, and that responsibility becomes even greater for a country accustomed to always winning gold.
Amare’s 2025 season and past results
Amare has enjoyed a fruitful season. 78 seconds. 32 for a new personal best and the second-fastest under-18 performance this season. At the World Athletics U20 Championships in August, she finished fourth in the 1500m in Oregon.
Despite missing the podium, she said she learned that racing involves both winning and losing, and that she is prepared to do better in Dakar by learning from her past mistakes.
Competing on African soil and what happens next
Amare said the fact that the Youth Olympics are being held in Dakar, on African soil, fills her with great joy and excitement.
She described the Olympic stage as demonstrating that Africa, just like any other continent, possesses an equal capacity to host such competitions and highlights the continent’s commitment to sports. She said participating in this major event is a significant milestone for young Africans.
For Dakar, she said she will be truly pleased with her performance if she wins a gold medal, calling nothing more important than winning gold for her country.
The Dakar 2026 athletics competition will take place from 8 to 10 November at Complexe Iba Mar Diop, with 36 gold medals to be decided.
Ethiopia's Youth Olympic athletics record
Statistic | Detail |
|---|---|
Total athletics medals | 21 |
Youth Olympic Games competed | 3 |
Gold medals at Dakar 2026 | 36 |
Competition dates | 8 to 10 November |
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