Team SA has officially landed on the medal table at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, thanks to a stellar performance by swimmer Leah Markgraaff.

The 17-year-old powered through the water to earn a silver medal in the girls' 400m freestyle.

With this achievement, Markgraaff becomes the 9th swimming medallist for Team SA across four Youth Olympic Games appearances since 2010.

She joins an elite list of South African Youth Olympic swimming medallists, including Chad le Clos (three silvers, one gold in 2010), Dylan Bosch (bronze in 2010), the boys' 4x100m freestyle squad (bronze in 2010), Michael Houlie (gold in 2018) and Dune Coetzee (silver in 2018).

In the intense, low-30s heat of the Senegalese capital, Markgraaff delivered a strategic and determined swim at the open-air Dakar Aquatic Centre.

She got off to a fast start, leading for the first two laps before settling into third place at the 200m mark in 21:10.21.

Holding strong through the middle distance, she made her move after 250 meters.

Markgraaff surged past Bulgaria's Simona Ivanova to claim second place heading into the final 100 meters, holding her position all the way to the touch wall to stop the clock in 4:26.13.

She finished just behind Ecuador's Elvira Espinosa, who took the gold medal with a time of 4:22.87.

Climbing out of the pool to the lively sound of local drums, a beaming Markgraaff reflected on her podium finish in the mixed zone.

"I do not think it has quite sunk in yet, but I think it is quite a good achievement and I am very happy about it," Markgraaff said. "I really focused on getting out ahead early to get a good feel for the water. I enjoy getting out quickly to get ahead and settle into the race."

Building on her incredible success at the 2025 Africa Youth Games in Luanda, where she scooped three gold medals, Markgraaff quickly adapted to the global stage in Dakar.

"All of this is quite new to me," she admitted.

"I have only competed in Africa before against African athletes, so the other nations are all new to me. There is certainly a level up in standard, and it is amazing to compete against them. The conditions here are quite similar to Angola in terms of the water temperature, so I believe that experience in Luanda gave me much-needed experience in these conditions."

Markgraaf will look to add to her medal tally on Monday in the 100m freestyle, while teammate Chanel Veldsman will also be aiming for the podium in the 200m breaststroke.

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