Nigeria’s Shukurat Mayowa has moved straight to the quarter-finals of the women’s 48kg boxing event at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games. She will meet the winner of the preliminary match on Sunday between Algeria’s Bouthaina Bensalah and Thailand’s Pemika Payungkasem.
The 17-year-old boxer is Nigeria’s only representative in boxing at this big sports event happening in Senegal. She earned her place at the Games with a strong showing at the 2025 Africa Youth Games in Luanda, Angola.
Mayowa’s journey for Youth Olympic Games gold will start on Tuesday, November 10, at DEX Pavilion C in the Dakar Expo Centre.
Bensalah and Payungkasem will battle in Bout 17 on Sunday afternoon. The winner will go on to face Mayowa in the quarter-finals.
If she wins, Mayowa will move on to the semi-finals scheduled for Wednesday, November 11. The gold medal match will take place on Thursday, November 12.
Boxing events will kick off on Saturday, November 7, but Mayowa will wait until her quarter-final fight on Tuesday.
Her later start comes as Nigeria looks for its first medal at the Senegal Games. The country has already finished competing in beach volleyball, table tennis, and swimming events.
Now, Nigeria's hopes for medals rest on boxing, cycling, and athletics.
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