Daniel Saborío Youth Olympic Games bronze medal, Digi Mart USA News (Dakar, Senegal): Daniel Saborío became the first swimmer from Mexico to win a medal at the Youth Olympic Games, taking bronze in the 400-meter freestyle at Dakar 2026.
Saborío posted a time of 3:52.72, lowering his personal best. He finished behind Saudi Arabia’s Rami Bilal Alrahmouni (3:47.86) and Russia’s Bogdan Toropkin (3:50.46).
The bronze is the first medal for the Mexican delegation at the Dakar Games. Saborío, who finished fifth in the 100-meter freestyle, was also his country’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony.
The Mexican Olympic Committee congratulated Saborío on social media, calling the result a source of pride for the country.
Saborío, from Monterrey, Nuevo León, won the medal at 17 years old. He began swimming at age four and started competing professionally at six.
“First they took me to learn to swim so I wouldn’t drown, then I started to like it more and more, and then they put me on a team,” he said.
At 14, Saborío competed at the Central American and Caribbean Swimming Championships. The following year, when he entered high school, he joined the Borregos Monterrey team and attended the World Junior Championships in Romania.
That experience helped him qualify for the Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo, where he won gold in the men’s 4×200-meter freestyle relay, setting a Central American record of 7:15.60. He also won silver in the 800-meter freestyle in 8:05.04.
After Dakar, Saborío is preparing for other high-level international competitions, including the world junior championships and the 2027 Pan American Games in Lima. His main goal is the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
Reflecting on his path, Saborío said the first step is not giving up. “Years ago I was not the best swimmer in Mexico, and what I am achieving now is because I haven’t given up, even when I don’t always get the best results.
I trust in what comes if I keep going with discipline. What I want people to know is that every day it may not feel like it, but you are getting closer to an achievement, to a goal.”
