The gold medal in the beach handball women's competition at the Youth Olympic Games stays in South America! Eight years after Argentina won the title at Buenos Aires 2018, Uruguay secured the gold medal in a dramatic shoot-out against Spain.

Senegal became the first African team in history to secure a medal at a World Championship, Youth World Championship or the Youth Olympic Games in beach handball, after beating France in another shoot-out in the bronze-medal match.

Day 5 – 13 November 2026

Gold Medal
Spain v Uruguay 1:2 (14:16; 21:16; 0:6 SO)

• Three lead changes in the first set saw the two finalists go nip-and-tuck throughout the first 10 minutes, but a 6:2 run for Uruguay late in the set helped the South American side take the win, 16:14
• Melina Perez Faraone and Julietta Villar Lago each scored six points for Uruguay in the first set, as the reigning world champions were left reeling, lamenting their 44% shooting efficiency 
• Five crucial saves from Spain goalkeeper Maria Arnay Mancebo gave the European side the upper hand in the second set, when they led took a 12:8 lead after five minutes and 30 seconds
• On the back of Mancebo’s antics, Spain built a healthy lead and pushed the match into a shoot-out, with a 21:16 win in the second set, as their attack also improved to 72%
• But in the shoot-out, Uruguay relied on a monster performance from Julia Rotundo Bianchi, who stopped two shots and scored one
• Spain failed to score any of the three shots they had, as Marta Bouzo Alonso, Berta Buded Espina and Bouzo Alonso missed 
• The Olympic title stays in South America, with Argentina beating Croatia in the final eight years ago, at Buenos Aires 2018
• Uruguay's Julietta Villar Lago was the top scorer of the final, with 14 points
• Uruguay finished as the only unbeaten team in the competition, with six wins in six matches

Bronze-Medal Match
Senegal v France 2:1 (23:16; 20:25; 10:8 SO)

• Senegal became the first African team in history to secure a medal at a World Championship, Youth World Championship or the Youth Olympic Games in beach handball
• The African team dominated the first set from start to finish through their fast-paced rhythm, converting 12  of their 16 shots for an outstanding 75% efficiency in this period
• 12 of Senegal’s 23 points in the first set were scored by specialist Oumou Diop, who converted all her six shots
• France bounced back in the second set, as goalkeepers Nolwenn Noel and Mila Rebert produced key saves, while specialist Justine Renaud and some spin shots from Lou-An' Quero and Eloise Laborde pushed France to a 25:20 win 
• France missed two shots in the ensuing shoot-out, as the two sides were tied, 8:8, after five shots each, before Fatimata Boucar Sow saved Laborde’s shot in the sixth round of penalties
• Goalkeeper Latdara Ndoye saw a direct red card during the shoot-out for two players entering the court with a specialist shirt, but that did not deter Senegal’s win
• With 102 points scored, this was the third highest-scoring match in the women’s tournament at Dakar 2026, after the semi-final between Spain and Senegal (126) and the group match between Uruguay and France (110)
• Senegal’s coach, Valerie Nicolas, won her first Olympic medal, after finishing sixth, fourth and fifth at Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 as a player for France
• This was Senegal’s 11th medal at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, and their sixth bronze one, with the African country having five gold medals