Kawakami wins two golds at Dakar 2026

Ryuusei Kawakami wins Youth Olympic singles and mixed doubles gold in Dakar

5 November 2026: the 17-year-old beats Colombia's Emanuel Otalvaro 4-2, matching Koki Niwa's 2010 double

Japan's Ryuusei Kawakami won the men's singles at the Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026 on Thursday 5 November, adding to the mixed doubles gold he won earlier in the week.

The 17-year-old top seed beat Colombia's Emanuel Otalvaro, the second seed, 15-13, 11-7, 13-11, 6-11, 2-11, 11-6 in the final at the Dakar Expo Centre. Otalvaro won the fourth and fifth games to force a sixth, but Kawakami reset and closed it out.

He was the only player to win two table tennis golds in Dakar, matching what his compatriot Koki Niwa did at the 2010 Youth Olympics, Xinhua notes. "Winning gold at the Youth Olympics is the greatest of joys for me," Kawakami said, adding that he now wants to push up the world rankings.

His first gold came in the mixed doubles with 13-year-old Miku Matsushima. They beat Hong Kong, China's Li Ki Ho and Su Tsz Tung 3-1 in the final, winning the fourth game 13-11. Chinese Taipei's Lin Chin-Ting and Chen Min-Hsin took bronze.

Otalvaro's silver is a first for Colombia, the ITTF said. The Games were the first Olympic event held in Africa, and these were the first Olympic table tennis medals awarded on the continent.