Jemimah Nakawala secured Uganda's first victory at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games with a 3-0 win over Ghana's Joanita Borteye at the Dakar Expo Center on Saturday.
The 16-year-old took the games 11-6, 11-8, 11-6 to register a memorable result on the Olympic stage.
Nakawala later lost 3-1 to Poland's Katarzyna Rajkowska and 3-0 to India's Syndrela Das in Group 8 matches.
She travelled to Dakar immediately after completing her Senior Four examinations and said the big lesson was not giving up.
On the men's side, 11-year-old Joseph Sebatindira competed against older opponents in Group 8.
Sebatindira lost 3-1 to Poland's Patryk Zyworonek and suffered an identical scoreline against Venezuela's Jonathan Vegas.
He pushed Romania's Robert Istrate close, taking the opening game 11-9 before losing 11-7, 14-12, 12-10.
The mixed doubles pairing of Nakawala and Sebatindira also featured in Uganda's campaign.
Uganda's young paddlers left Dakar with valuable international exposure and encouraging signs of potential.
Source: Kawowo Sports
