By Zim Sport Live Writer
Zimbabwe’s Rohnan Nicholson finished fifth in the men’s individual time trial at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games on Tuesday, making him the highest-placed African in both cycling events after his ninth place in the road race two days earlier.
Nicholson clocked 10 minutes 29.54 seconds, 19.34 seconds behind Slovakia’s Timotej Michalik, who won in 10:10.20.
Italy’s Lorenzo Ceccarello took silver, 7.74 seconds back, and Belgium’s Daan Wilmsen took bronze, 10.19 seconds back.
Nicholson finished 9.15 seconds off the podium.
He finished ahead of the other African riders. Algeria’s Selmane Mansouri was 12th, 33.83 seconds behind the winner, and Ethiopia’s Legese Gebreslasie was 20th, 57.78 seconds behind.
In Sunday’s road race, Nicholson was the first African across the line in ninth.
He stayed in the main peloton for much of the race before joining a chasing group around the sixth lap, but could not hold the group when it made a decisive move in pursuit of Australia’s Caleb McKenzie, who finished third.
“Ninth is okay. It was quite hot out there, although I feel I could have pushed more, but I will take the result,” Nicholson said after the road race.
The 17-year-old won the men’s junior road race at the African Championships in Kisumu, Kenya, about two weeks before the Games.
