Lawson and Muchirahondo add two silvers at Dakar 2026

New Zealand Team swimmers Alyssa Lawson and Ariel Muchirahondo have continued the team’s strong run in the pool at Dakar 2026, claiming a silver medal each on day four of competition. 

The results take the pair to five medals between them, with Lawson now holding two silvers and Muchirahondo three medals across the opening four days of racing. 

Lawson produced the second-fastest 50m Freestyle of her career to take silver in 25.74, bettered only by the personal best she set at the Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships earlier this year. 

The 16-year-old was locked in a battle with Croatia’s Ana Bobanović throughout the sprint. Bobanović held the advantage following the start before Lawson closed the gap over the second half of the race. 

Bobanović touched first in 25.45, with Lawson taking silver and Palina Bialiauskaya of Belarus bronze. 

The result gives Lawson her second silver medal of the Games and sees her join Muchirahondo as New Zealand’s only multi-medallists in the pool at a Youth Olympic Games. 

Muchirahondo added another silver later in the session, taking second in the 200m Individual Medley for his third medal in Dakar. 

He led through the opening Butterfly and Backstroke legs before the field tightened during the Breaststroke. Japan’s Iori Miyazaki then finished strongly to take gold in 2:00.71, with Muchirahondo touching less than a second behind in 2:01.66. Turkey’s Kirhan Yilmaz claimed bronze. 

Lawson and Muchirahondo finish day four with five medals between them - two gold and three silver. 

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