Dakar 2026: ‘This is for all of Latin America’ – Uruguay’s gold shines across borders

After Uruguay won the women’s beach handball competition at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Senegal, IHF.info shares a selection of quotes from the gold, silver and bronze medal-winning coaches and players.

Final/Gold Medal Match: Spain v Uruguay 1-2 (14:16, 21:16, SO 0:6)

Julia ROTUNDO BIANCHI (Uruguay), player – gold

On winning gold:
Honestly, I’m incredibly proud. This was the goal we had set for ourselves, and we’re just so happy. We gave it our all in the final, and we’re thrilled with what we’ve achieved.

On how she felt during the shoot-out:
To be honest, I was super nervous – I really didn’t expect this result. But it all happened because my teammates gave me so much confidence, and thanks to that, we ended up winning.

Clara FAJARDO FILIPPINI (Uruguay), player – gold

On how she felt at half-time following a strong first set:
We were so excited and very confident about the second set. We knew they were going to come back stronger than before, but we were with that same energy, and it all came down to the shoot-out.

On the importance of Julia ROTUNDO BIANCHI in the shoot-out:
We feel very proud about our best teammate ever, and there is nothing else to say.

Francisco GALLO (Uruguay), coach – gold

On what just happened:
I don't know actually. It was a great game, very physical. We watched Spain a lot; a lot of videos, and the girls follow everything that we told them to do on court.

On if it was a surprise to win the shoot-out 6:0:
Yes. We expected other players to be in the first spots of them shooting, but we were prepared for everything. We saw every game, every shoot-out that Spain had and the girls they did everything we said to them. We are very proud.

On what he said at half-time after an impressive first set:
Even though we won the first set, I thought we had a lot of missed opportunities that we could have taken advantage of in the second set. Their goalkeeper was actually really great. At this stage shoot-outs are all the time, and we were expecting that.

On his message to everyone back in Uruguay:  
I want to thank everyone, the coaches and the clubs for giving us this wonderful opportunity, for believing in us, and for placing their trust in us. This is for all of us, and for all of Latin America; let’s all enjoy it together.

Serena EPHERRE GENERALI (player), Uruguay – gold (speaking to OIS)

On the match:
We knew our opponents were going to come out with some tough energy. But we managed to control the game, and get the result we wanted. Spain were the favourites. They are a very strong team; good players, but we didn’t let that intimidate us. We went all out.

On the key to their win:
We have unity among us. That’s how we achieved these results.

Laura LINARES HEREDIA (player), Spain – silver

On losing the final but ending with a silver:
We went into the final giving everything we had. We played a great match and really did Spain proud. In the end, this silver medal feels just as good as gold.

On her feelings after the loss:
Immediately after the match, we were feeling a bit down – it was a moment where we had to dig deep and show our grit. But once we stepped onto the podium and realised everything we’ve achieved and where we stand, we all felt incredibly proud and happy with our silver medal. It really comes down to our courage and our fighting spirit. We always give it our all. In the end, there’s just something different about Spain.

On her feelings when she looks at her teammates:
The team we’ve built, it’s more like a family, not just a team – and that’s something we’ll all carry with us.

Inmaculada NAVARRETE (coach), Spain – silver

On what she said to her team after losing the final:
They might not fully appreciate it in the moment, but I said this is something they’ll look back on – it’s a special experience for young players. We’ve reached the final; the girls have been performing at a 10-out-of-10 level. We’ve come a long way, and it’s truly incredible. We’ve played in four finals now, and while there were some nerves – which is only natural – the team really stepped up and gave it their all.

On the game:
Uruguay played a good match. They were aiming – I’m not sure if it was to win a set just to reach the shoot-outs, where they felt more confident. The first set slipped away from us. We had it within our grasp – we were up by six points – and our goal was to win 2-0.

I told the team that we had to win the second set. It didn’t matter how – whether it ended 2-0 or 2-1 – we knew we had the quality and the confidence to take that second set. The girls truly believed; they weren’t about to give up on the match. We wanted to keep fighting for as long as our legs and our minds would allow—that’s what I conveyed to them.

It’s true that we were coming off a very good result yesterday (defeating Senegal in the semi-final) and felt confident we could pull it off, our defence did a great job, but credit to Uruguay. They played well and they deserve congratulations.

On what she said to the team directly after the end of the game:
The first thing I did when the final whistle blew was to encourage the girls. They might not fully appreciate it in this moment, but a Spanish women’s team has never before reached the Youth Olympic Games. We made it to the final.

Just 10 days ago, the girls were still playing indoors and we managed this without even switching to the beach version of the sport. We’ve had an incredible tournament and it’s worth noting that Spain continues to perform at a higher level than in our previous four tournaments, where we also reached the finals, both last year and this year.

The sting (of losing) will fade, and they’ll come to realise that not everyone gets to win an Olympic medal.

Elena HIERRO CILLER, assistant coach (Spain) – silver (speaking to OIS)

On the result:
It is hard now but, in the end, we won a silver medal. We lost the game but it is still a good result for us to get silver. We are really proud of the girls. We had a really great team; we did some great performances.

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

Bineta BA, player (Senegal) – bronze

On consoling France player Eloise LABORDE after the match:
Eloise is a benchmark. We follow her all the time. Even when we play alongside her, you can tell she’s really good. That’s why we made sure to get in touch with her, to have a chance to talk. 

On the mental strength to win the shoot-out despite shooting second in the first round:
Shooting second is the best option for us; let the opponent shoot first and just watch. It helps us stay calmer. It’s all about remaining calm. There’s always going to be pressure [in a shoot-out] no matter what happens, whether you go first or second.

On overcoming the disappointment of losing the semi-final to win bronze:
We told ourselves to forget about the match because it was in the past and we couldn’t change it anyway. We just focused on coming out today to win the bronze. I’m very happy. Even though we haven’t actually seen the medals yet, we know we’ve won them, and we’re just really happy. I’m happy to be playing beach handball. It’s a sport built on fair play; it’s about playing, having fun, and, of course, winning.

On the result (speaking to OIS):
I am really proud we beat France. It was a big day for us. It was very difficult during the shoot-out.

On how they will celebrate (speaking to OIS): 
Lots of music. We will celebrate by going dancing.

Valerie NICOLAS, coach (Senegal) – bronze

On how impressed she was with the mental strength of her players:
I worked a lot on the players' mindset yesterday (Thursday 12 November). I told them that they played very well against Spain, yet they still lost. Seeing them on the side afterwards it was mentally tough. But disappointment is natural, so I gave them time to process it. I said: ‘we need to be fully present, prepared for the tactical side of things and ready’.

On the differences between the two sets:
Playing on the right side versus the left side—it’s not the same thing; tactically, they’re two different sets. In the first set, the French players were making errors on their spin shots, and they were also trying to target the middle—they were making mistakes while trying to attack. But it’s hard to go into detail – it’s all part of our tactical preparation, and I’d rather not discuss the specifics.

On winning bronze (speaking to OIS):
We didn’t expect this before, but they deserved it. It was tough. France played really well. They know us now after six games, and we know them. We won but it was so close.

On how she feels as a French woman (speaking to OIS):
I am sad for Eloise (LABORDE) missing in the shoot-out because she is one of the best players in their team, and it’s hard for me because I’m also French.

On whether she sang both anthems (speaking to OIS):
I don’t know the sentences of the Senegalese anthem so well but I know the song, so inside I was singing a little. Senegal is in my heart now.

On how she will celebrate (speaking to OIS):
I will drink a beer tonight. Maybe two, because it is hot. My girls will dance, and I will try to dance a little bit with them. It was amazing to work with them. Then I have to go and fly.

Maman Coumba DIOP, player (Senegal) – bronze

On winning bronze:
I am very happy to take this bronze medals. There is a lot of hard work behind it.

On how hard France were to play against in the bronze medal match: 
We were fighting a lot because the game was not easy. But we knew what we were fighting for – bronze – and we wanted to take it for the country.