Head coach Knight Otuoma has credited meticulous preparation and exceptional squad depth for the Kenya Rising Lionesses’ historic rugby sevens gold medal victory at the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games.
Kenya secured the nation’s first-ever title in Senegal after edging Australia 17–12 in a heart-stopping sudden-death final.
“It’s been a tough tournament, but we had prepared well,” said Otuoma. “This means Kenya rugby has depth and the future is bright. In our first match against Australia, I made four changes and rested another four players in preparation for the semi-finals. It was all tactical.”
The final was a tense, back-and-forth battle. Australia drew first blood, but Kenya responded swiftly through captain Zain Mohamed to level the score at 5–5 before the halftime break.
Australia struck again early in the second half to pull ahead 12–5, but the resilient Rising Lionesses refused to back down, scoring a dramatic try at the death to send the decider into extra time.
In sudden death, Team Kenya demonstrated immense composure, maintaining relentless pressure through several tactical phases inside the Australian 22-meter line before crossing over for the championship-winning try.
“The first half was tough as we went into the break at 5–5,” Mohamed said.
“We went down in the second half but remained determined. We refused to give up and fought for the victory. Before departure, we agreed that we had to deliver a gold-medal performance.”
The gold medal capped an extraordinary campaign for the young Kenyan side. They launched their tournament with a hard-fought 12–5 victory over China before executing an emphatic 19–0 shutout against host nation Senegal.
Although they suffered a brief 17–5 setback against Australia in their final pool match, the Rising Lionesses rebounded strongly in the knockout stage, defeating Madagascar 15–5 in the semi-finals to set up their victorious rematch in the final.
