Team SA have returned home after the conclusion of their most successful African Youth Games, the 2025 edition held in Luanda, Angola. These were the 4th such Youth Games and the third that Team SA had participated in. Their total of 99 medals bettered the haul from Gaborone in 2014 when they won 93 medals.
Seven of the 12 different codes that took part won medals – swimming, athletics, karate, weightlifting, badminton, cycling and tennis.
In paying tribute to the squad’s achievements, chef de mission (team leader) Leon Fleiser said: “I would like to say thank you to those who helped make these African Youth Games the success they were. We know that they have been the most successful in Team SA’s history, but to top the medals table in both overall total (99) and the number of golds (45) is a huge achievement.”
Swimming were the most prolific code in terms fo medals won, a total of 61 coming from the pool. Outside of that, athletics won 19, karate and weightlifting six each, cycling two and badminton and tennis two each. There were four swimmers – Matthew Goller, Bailey Lambert, Leah Markgraaff and Chanel Veldsman – who won three individual golds, but they also featured in the relays where Team SA won seven golds.
FINAL MEDALS TABLE
Team SA 45 gold 38 silver 16 bronze Total 99
Algeria 34-21-28 = 83
Egypt 33-22-21 = 76
Tunisia 19-20-41 = 80
Cameroon 14-4-6 = 24
TEAM SA’S HAUL
GOLD (45)
33 Swimming
11 Athletics
1 Cycling
SILVER (38)
20 Swimming
8 Athletics
3 Weightlifting
2 Badminton
2 Karate
BRONZE (16)
8 Swimming
4 Karate
2 Cycling
1 Tennis
1 Weightlifting
