Robert Robin attributed his difficult debut at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games to stomach cramps during the swimming leg and muscle problems during the run, which left him struggling to keep pace with the international field on Thursday.

The 17-year-old Kenyan finished 28th in the men’s triathlon in 1:09:14 at Saly Beach West, in a tougher-than-anticipated race despite his ambitions of making an impression on the global stage.

His problems began during the opening 750-metre swim, where stomach cramps disrupted his rhythm before further muscle cramps struck during the five-kilometre run, compounding an already difficult race.

Despite the setbacks and two time penalties, Robin still finished the race, marking a significant milestone for Kenyan triathlon by becoming the country’s first representative in the discipline at the Youth Olympic Games.

“I’m very fortunate to be racing in the Dakar Youth Olympics. It was a great experience. I’m very grateful for being able to attend as the first-ever triathlete for Kenya,” he said.

Robin finished 16 minutes and one second behind Portugal’s Artur Gaspar, who won gold in 53:13. Luxembourg’s Emile Vanolst took silver in 53:23, as Japan’s Daiki Nishizaki and Kazakhstan’s Ramazan Ainegov shared bronze after clocking 53:27.

The race brought together 32 athletes aged 16 and 17 from 32 countries, making it the first Olympic triathlon competition to be staged on African soil.

According to the race report, 29 athletes completed the contest, with two failing to finish and Senegal’s Ousmane Thiaw disqualified for failing to serve a penalty.

The sprint-distance event comprised a 750-metre swim, a 20km cycling leg and a 5km run. Conditions at Saly Beach added to the challenge, with water temperatures reaching 28.1 degrees Celsius and sizeable waves making the opening swimming discipline particularly demanding.

Robin had targeted a top-10 finish, according to World Triathlon’s pre-race assessment, but his physical difficulties and penalties proved costly against a competitive field.

His participation was particularly significant given that he had previously finished fourth in the youth race at the Saly Development Regional Cup, giving him valuable experience ahead of his historic appearance.

Although the result fell short of his ambitions, his participation represents an important step in Kenya’s efforts to establish itself in a sport that combines swimming, cycling and running.

Team manager Elias Njuguna described the team’s journey to Dakar as an achievement in itself, highlighting the importance of international exposure in developing the sport locally.

“It’s been quite a journey. We’ve come from far. We really never anticipated this. But we are here now, and we thank God. The results so far are not what we are considering, but the achievement,” said Njuguna.

Njuguna identified swimming as a major area requiring improvement if Kenyan triathletes are to become more competitive internationally, while expressing confidence in the country’s potential in cycling and running.

His assessment underlines the need for a balanced development programme that prepares athletes to compete across all three disciplines, rather than relying on strength in one or two areas.