Kenya 7s U18, the Rising Lionesses, etched their names in history on Tuesday, November 3, after edging Australia 17-12 at the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympics finals staged in Senegal to claim Kenya’s first-ever gold medal in the rugby category.
The Rising Lionesses’ fate was decided in sudden death after the two sides had played to a 12–12 draw in the regular time.
In the first half Australia capitalised on Kenya’s slow start, finding space on the left wing where Mackay Darci sprinted through for an unconverted try just a minute into the match to give her side the lead.
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But the Lionesses did not panic or lose their composure. They stuck to their game plan, retaining possession and gradually turning up the pressure.
Before half-time, they pinned Australia inside their own 22, and their persistence paid off when captain Hido Zain picked up from a ruck just metres from the try line and powered over the whitewash to ensure both sides went into the break level.
With two minutes remaining in the second half, Kenya pushed Australia deep into their own half, only for the Australians to turn the tables with a swift counterattack.
Marley Ellze, coming off the bench, offloaded to fellow substitute Buchanna Grace, who raced through the Kenyan defence to restore her side’s lead, before Billie Backus added the extras to pile the pressure on Kenya.
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Now, Knight Otuoma’s charges needed a converted try to force sudden death. The Lionesses kept possession and forced Australia into infringements in their own territory.
With a ruck just metres from the posts, Josephine Kerubo emerged as the saviour, weaving through the defence near the uprights to score a crucial try. Diana Wanjiku added the extras to force extra time.
Kenya made no mistakes in sudden death, maintaining possession and moving the ball confidently from right to left.
Diana offloaded to Mitchelle Chemtai, who found herself with acres of space on the left wing. She sprinted clear and dotted down the winning try, sending the Lionesses into jubilant celebrations and emotional tears.
The gold medal capped an incredible two days of competition for the Rising Lionesses. In the group stage, they won two of their three matches, beating China 12–5 before thrashing hosts Senegal 19–0.
Their only group-stage defeat came against Australia, who edged them 17–5 to finish top of the group.
They drew Madagascar in the semifinals, smashing them 15-5, and a bittersweet story ended with a 17-12 revenge win over Australia for a very promising team, not only for the future of Kenya rugby but also Africa.
Kenya Rising Lionesses Results at the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympics
Group Stage
- Match 1: Kenya 12–5 China
- Match 2: Kenya 19–0 Senegal
- Match 3: Kenya 5–17 Australia
Knockout Stage
- Semi-final: Kenya 15–5 Madagascar
- Gold medal final: Kenya 17–12 Australia (Won in sudden-death overtime)