"VAN" (Sports Desk - 09.11.2026) :: The People's Republic of China and Japan finished 1-2 in the women's artistic gymnastics qualifications at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games on Sunday (8 November) mirroring the same result in the men's edition the previous day. "We train in the same gym as the men's team, so we see each other quite often," said the top qualifier in the women's individual all-around Xie Guying. "Their performance yesterday gave us a really good start and boosted our confidence more. "Team Japan are also very strong but we’re confident that we can do better than them. We always train very seriously and we believe in what we can do." The showdown between the nations is a mouth-watering prospect for the team competitions on Monday (9 November) with the men taking to the Dakar Exhibition Center in the morning with the women facing-off later in the afternoon. Eight teams qualified for the womens' final with Italy, France, Canada, Australia, Egypt and Romania also joining the fray. The third and fourth placed European nations look most likely to duke it out for the final spot on the podium. The individual all-around qualifiers were also decided, with the top 18 gymnasts heading to Tuesday's final. Cr-Olympics
On Mon, Nov 9, 2026