Azerbaijan concluded the fourth Summer Youth Olympic Games in Dakar with six medals, achieving its best result in the past 12 years.
As reported by İdman.Biz, Azerbaijani athletes claimed three gold and three silver medals, finishing 13th in the overall medal standings. This represents the country's third-best position in the history of the Summer Youth Olympic Games.
At the inaugural Games in Singapore in 2010, Azerbaijan finished 11th with five gold and three silver medals. Four years later, in Nanjing, China, the national team achieved its best-ever performance, placing 10th with 12 medals: five gold, six silver and one bronze.
At the previous Summer Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires in 2018, Azerbaijani athletes finished 35th with six medals, including two gold, one silver and three bronze.
Therefore, Azerbaijan climbed 22 places in the overall standings compared with the previous Games. Despite winning the same total number of medals, the national team secured one additional gold medal in Dakar.
Azerbaijan's three Olympic champions in Dakar were judoka Ibrahim Talibov (55 kg) and beach wrestlers Tunar Guliyev (70 kg) and Elgun Kerimli (90 kg).
Silver medals were claimed by beach wrestler Nihad Suleymanli (80 kg), taekwondo athlete Adil Kazimli (73 kg) and boxer Gular Huseynova (51 kg).
Across four editions of the Summer Youth Olympic Games, Azerbaijani athletes have now collected 32 medals: 15 gold, 13 silver and four bronze.
Interestingly, China and Russia are the only countries to have finished among the top three in the overall medal standings at every edition of the Summer Youth Olympic Games. Both nations have achieved this feat four times.
China has topped the medal table on three occasions (2010, 2014 and 2026), while Russia finished first once, in 2018.
Japan has secured a top-three finish twice, while South Korea and the United States have each achieved the feat once.
Final medal standings of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, top 20 (gold, silver, bronze):
1. China – (18, 8, 7)
2. Japan – (11, 8, 9)
3. Russia – (8, 4, 2)
4. Egypt – (6, 1, 5)
5. Ethiopia – (5, 3, 0)
6. Senegal – (5, 0, 7)
7. France – (4, 5, 4)
8. Kenya – (4, 2, 0)
9. South Africa – (3, 5, 3)
10. Croatia – (3, 4, 0)
11. Ukraine – (3, 3, 3)
12. Brazil – (3, 3, 1)
13. Azerbaijan – (3, 3, 0)
14. Germany – (3, 2, 3)
15. Türkiye – (3, 1, 5)
16. Jordan – (3, 1, 0)
17. Nigeria – (3, 0, 0)
18. Spain – (2, 5, 5)
19. Chinese Taipei – (2, 4, 3)
20. Uzbekistan – (2, 4, 2)
