Rieck makes history with sixth-place finish in Youth Olympics swimming final

Jeremy Mutwii Rieck made history on Wednesday after becoming only the second Kenyan swimmer to reach a final at the Youth Olympic Games.

Rieck finished sixth in the men’s 50m butterfly final on Day Four of the swimming competition at the Dakar 2026 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Senegal.

The Kenyan secured his place in the final after finishing third in Heat Five in 25.05 seconds before clocking 25.07 seconds in the final against a highly competitive international field.

Although he missed out on a podium finish, his performance marked a significant milestone for Kenyan swimming, following in the footsteps of Jason Dunford, who represented the country with distinction at international competitions.

Rieck’s achievement underlines the growing potential of Kenyan swimming and the country’s ability to produce athletes capable of competing at the highest international level.

Elsewhere, Macrine Kolombo finished fifth in Heat Two of the women’s 200m individual medley after clocking 2:35.23.

Neo Olendo also competed in the men’s 50m freestyle, finishing fourth in his heat. However, his time was not sufficient to secure a place in the final.

Olendo will have another opportunity to compete when he returns to the pool for the men’s 50m breaststroke.

Rieck is also scheduled to compete in the men’s 50m backstroke on Thursday, while Isabelle mwangi will represent Kenya in the women’s 200m freestyle on Friday.

Team Kenya will be hoping to build on Rieck’s historic performance as the swimming competition continues at the Complexe Tour de Stadium in Senegal.