Rising Lionesses have been crowned champions of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games women’s rugby sevens competition after edging arch-rivals Australia 17-12 in a closely contested final on Tuesday, 3 November, in Senegal.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsThe thrilling encounter went into extra time before the Kenyan youngsters emerged victorious, securing the country’s first gold medal at the Games.The triumph also provided sweet revenge for the Rising Lionesses, who had suffered a 17-5 defeat to Australia in their final pool match earlier in the day.Dakar Olympics: Rising Lionesses book place in rugby sevens final against AustraliaThe victory capped an impressive campaign for the Kenyans, who finished their Dakar adventure with just one defeat.They opened their campaign with a 12-5 victory over China before cruising to a 19-0 win against hosts Senegal to maintain their perfect start.Their only setback came against Australia in the final pool encounter. However, the defeat did little to dent their campaign, as they had already secured a place in the semifinals.##NAJAVA_MECA_10088120##The Rising Lionesses bounced back in style, defeating Madagascar 15-5 in the last four to book their place in the final, setting up another showdown with Australia.They made no mistake in the rematch, producing a resilient performance to overcome the Australians and write their names into Kenya’s sporting history.The Rising Lionesses got off to a lively start, but Australia were first to take control of possession after collecting the opening kickoff. Injera hilariously revisits unfulfilled Prado promise after historic Singapore 7s triumphKenya conceded an early penalty, which the Australians capitalised on, crossing the try line for a 5-0 lead. However, the Kenyans were quick to respond. After working their way into Australia's red zone, Josephine Kerubo made valuable ground, putting the opponents under pressure and forcing them into mistakes. With Kenya playing under an advantage, captain Zain Hido powered over the line for a try. The conversion went wide, leaving the scores tied at 5-5 heading into halftime.##NAJAVA_MECA_10088123##Australia returned from the break with renewed intensity, making good use of their territorial advantage to cross for a converted try and restore their lead at 12-5. Kenya struggled to find rhythm in their passing game as the clock ticked down, with the Australians seemingly on course for victory.But the Rising Lionesses had other ideas. Former Kenya International on why Shujaa performs better than Kenya SimbasShowing remarkable resilience, they kept Australia pinned in their danger zone before Kerubo crossed the line for a crucial try. Diana Wanjiku made no mistake with the conversion, bringing Kenya level at 12-12 and forcing the final into extra time.With the gold medal hanging in the balance, Kenya finally broke the deadlock in extra time, scoring the decisive try to seal a dramatic 17-12 victory and spark celebrations as the Rising Lionesses clinched Kenya's first gold medal at this year’s Dakar Youth Olympics.