Ukrainian fencer Alina Dmytruk has won the silver medal at the 2026 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Dakar (Senegal). The 17-year-old athlete from Lviv, specializing in the epee, reached the final of the women's competition where she was defeated by Hungarian Lotti Horvath with a score of 12:15 in the decisive bout. Thus, Dmytruk added another top-tier international award to her record, and her result became the third medal for the Ukrainian national team at the ongoing Olympic tournament, which runs until November 13, 2026.
The Final and the Path to It
Advancing to the final, Alina navigated the tournament bracket undefeated. In the group stage, she took first place by winning all six bouts, which allowed her to bypass the Round of 16 and start competing straight from the quarterfinals. In the match for a spot in the semifinals, the Ukrainian confidently defeated Iranian fencer Ghazal Madani 15:5, and in the semifinals, she overcame Yana Al-Sharji from Oman 15:9. These two victories effectively guaranteed her at least a silver medal even before the title match. In the final, Dmytruk put up a tight fight against Lotti Horvath, but the Hungarian ultimately came out on top at 15:12.
Career and International Achievements
Despite her young age, Alina Dmytruk already boasts an impressive international resume. In 2025, she became the junior world champion in the team event and also won silver in the individual cadet world championship. In 2026, she added another individual world championship medal to her collection — bronze at the cadet world championship in Rio de Janeiro. Furthermore, between 2024 and 2026, the Ukrainian won six European titles among cadets and juniors, and in 2024, she secured team gold at the U-23 European Championship. Her personal coaches are Andriy Orlikovsky and Zoryana Semyaryak. In late October 2026, Dmytruk performed successfully at the Ukrainian Fencing Cup, where she was stopped in the final by a titled compatriot.
Significance for Ukrainian Fencing
The silver in Dakar is the second medal in the history of Ukrainian fencing at the Summer Youth Olympic Games. At the previous such tournament in 2018, Kateryna Chorniy won gold in the epee event. For the entire Ukrainian delegation, Dmytruk's award is the third at the current Games: earlier, Khazar Heydarov won gold in judo, and Nikita Kuzmenko claimed bronze in beach wrestling. The result in Dakar has once again confirmed Alina Dmytruk's status as one of the most promising representatives of Ukrainian fencing and laid the foundation for her further growth on the senior international stage.
