Seventeen-year-old Filipina track and field athlete Naomi Cesar delivered the Philippines’ first medal at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games after claiming silver in the women’s 800-meter final on November 10, 2026 (Philippine time).
Photo: Philippine Olympic Committee/Facebook
Cesar clocked two minutes and 9.34 seconds to secure second place, becoming the first Filipina athlete to win an individual medal at the Youth Olympic Games.
Entering the final stretch, Cesar was fighting to break into the podium positions after trailing behind her competitors.
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“I saw them in front of me, and I was like, I worked so hard for this. I’m not gonna come home in fourth place,” Cesar told POC Media after the race.
With only 100 meters remaining, Cesar unleashed a finishing kick, overtaking her rivals to secure a place on the podium.
“It still doesn’t feel real. Like, when I crossed the line, I was like, oh my gosh, I just medaled at the Youth Olympics. It’s just so unreal, I’m just so happy and so proud of myself,” she said.
This Team Philippines jacket! 🤩
🇵🇭🥈 Naomi Marjorie Cesar steps up to receive her Youth Olympic silver medal in style.
#YouthOlympics #Dakar2026 https://t.co/ItBhamZXnj
— The Olympic Games™ (@Olympics) November 9, 2026
The Filipina middle-distance runner finished behind Ethiopia’s Netsanet Selemon, who claimed the gold medal with a time of two minutes and 4.43 seconds.
Cesar’s second-place finish also marks the Philippines’ first-ever athletics medal in Youth Olympic Games history and its second silver medal overall in the competition. The country’s previous silver came from Christian Tio, who finished second in the boys’ IKA Twin Tip Racing event at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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Before making history in Dakar, Cesar also made headlines at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand, where she captured the gold medal in the women’s 800 meters. At just 16 years old, she became one of the youngest Filipino athletes to win a SEA Games gold medal in athletics.
ALSO READ: 9 Young Athletes Representing Team Philippines at the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games
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