Dakar's official Event Summary for 1 November lists Ariel Muchirahondo as the men's 200m backstroke winner in 1:59.15 at the Complexe Tour de l'Oeuf. Swimming New Zealand says the result made him the country's first Youth Olympic swimming gold medallist.
Muchirahondo leads the Dakar final
Dakar's Event Summary for 1 November shows Muchirahondo led the heats in 2:02.06, then won the final in 1:59.15. Both marks appear in the same race report, which names him ahead of the other finalists rather than relying on a separate athlete profile.
World Aquatics' 1 November race account lists Iran's Parsa Shahshahani second in 2:02.74 and Greece's Nikolaos Papatheodorou third in 2:03.23. The official Dakar summary confirms the same podium and finishing times. That agreement establishes the medal order across the two primary records.
New Zealand swimmer Ariel Muchirahondo told Swimming New Zealand: “The race hurt, but it was worth it.” The federation's report says he led from start to finish, a detail consistent with the result sheet.
New Zealand's earlier Youth Olympic medals
Swimming New Zealand's 1 November report identifies Gabrielle Fa’amausili and Bobbi Gichard as its earlier Youth Olympic swimming medallists. Both won backstroke bronze medals in 2014, according to the federation.
SportsRivo checked the official Dakar gold result against that federation history. Muchirahondo's victory changes New Zealand's Youth Olympic swimming record from bronze-only podium finishes to its first gold. The federation also calls this his first international title, adding a separate career milestone to the national one.
What the result changes
- New Zealand now has a Youth Olympic swimming champion, following the earlier bronze medallists named by its federation.
- Shahshahani and Papatheodorou complete the official Dakar podium for Iran and Greece.
- Muchirahondo begins the rest of his Dakar programme with a gold medal already secured.
Muchirahondo's next confirmed race
Swimming New Zealand's 1 November schedule lists Muchirahondo for the men's 100m backstroke heats on Tuesday 3 November. A place in that event's final remains conditional on qualifying from the heats.