Nieman, Blignaut help Team SA sign off with 11 medals

The final day of competition for Team South Africa at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games saw Megan Nieman bring home another gold and Milan Blignaut a silver, to conclude what has been a record-breaking Games for Team SA. The 11 medals surpass the country’s previous Youth Olympic highest tally of nine at the 2010 edition in Singapore.

Nieman (pictured) was the one who took Team SA into double figures, gold in the 400m hurdles. In victory, she became the team's first female athlete to win gold in Daka. The day was not yet over as Blignaut won the silver medal in the high jump to round off the medal haul at 11.

Nieman had an intense battle with the Swiss athlete, Mina Hirsbrunner, for the gold. The 17-year-old from Pretoria almost fell at the final hurdle and had a gap of at least a metre to catch up over the final 50m. Nieman managed to dig deep and catch the Swiss runner in time for a photo finish and her time of 57.75sec was enough to win the gold by less than a 10th.

Her face told the story and the picture painted a thousand words. Happiness and relief. In the immediate aftermath she powered through the oxygen deprivation to share her feelings. “I did not expect that final hurdle to cause a problem and I was really close to falling over. I dug deep to fight back and when I lunged across that line and saw my name in first, I was overcome with pride and happiness.

“It is an honour to win this gold for the team and to be the first female gold medallist for Team South Africa at these Youth Olympics is beyond words. Thank you to everyone who has supported me, my fellow athletes, the coaches, the medical team and especially my parents. They are the ones that I race for and their support for me throughout this journey has given me the strength and guidance needed to achieve this.”

The Grade 11 learner at Hoerskool Menlopark has been on a steady rise in the world of athletics. She competed at the 2025 African Youth Games, where she won two gold medals. She went on to compete in the World Junior Championships and the senior South African Championships.

Nieman has now followed up her impressive performances in 2026 with a performance of the highest level on junior athletics’ biggest stage. Nieman went on to look ahead at what the future may hold. “I think for now I am looking forward to getting home. In the future, who knows. I will continue to train and do my best in the competitions I qualify for and I hope to one day represent Team South Africa at the senior level.”

Blignaut, who was the last competing athlete for Team South Africa, fought hard against Yasmeen Roy from Kuwait, as they were the only two to clear 1.74m. Unfortunately, the blonde South African was not able to match Roy’s clearance of 1.76m, meaning she had secured the silver. The 17-year-old from West Rand, Johannesburg, was all smiles however, with the South African flag draped around her shoulders, when she reflected on her stellar performance.

“I am in slight shock right now! I did not come here expecting to win a medal, let alone a silver. I am so happy and thankful to everyone for their support. This is the highlight of my sporting journey so far and I hope to take my athletics, particularly my high jump, as far as possible. I am so happy to be standing here as a Youth Olympic medallist. It is surreal.”

The second runner to compete on Tuesday, Lara Stander, found extreme misfortune in the 1 500m where she narrowly missed out on bronze in a time of 4:31.50. The 16-year-old from Durbanville found herself in an uncomfortable position heading onto the final lap as she was boxed in and struggling to maintain balance. “It was really difficult and quite disappointing to not be on the podium. I think I was one of the fastest but I found myself tripping when I was boxed in and I had to exert a lot of energy to break free and keep up which I believe cost me in the end.”

Away from the track, Jacobus van der Merwe also finished fourth in the javelin with a throw of 64.29m, 3.12m behind bronze medallist Dilan Graciano of Colombia. The respectful 17-year-old spoke briefly on the performance. “I am quite disappointed with myself. I threw nowhere near my personal best and although I have had injuries, it is not an excuse for me. It was not meant to be today and that’s okay. There are lessons that it has taught me and it has been an honour and a privilege to represent South Africa at the Youth Olympics.”

MEDALS (11)

GOLD (3)

Callum Dreyer (boys rowing – coastal beach sprints)

Mateo le Roux (athletics, boys high jump)

Megan Nieman (athletics, women’s 400m H)

SILVER (5)

Leah Markgraaff (swimming, girls 400m freestyle)

Chanel Veldsman (swimming, girls 100m breaststroke)

John-Pierre Theron (athletics, boys hammer throw)

Rugby Sevens (boys)

Milan Blignaut (athletics, women’s high jump)

BRONZE (3)

Chanel Veldsman (swimming, girls 200m breaststroke)

Darius Botha (athletics, boys shot put)

Enrique Bosch (athletics, boys 110m H)