Saly Sarr makes Senegalese history with Diamond League Final triumph
Senegal’s Saly Sarr has delivered a landmark moment for her country, becoming the first Senegalese athlete to win a Diamond League trophy after claiming the women’s triple jump title in Brussels.
Sarr produced a winning leap of 14.96m with a legal +0.3m/s wind to secure the title, defeating a strong Cuban challenge and etching her name into Senegalese athletics history.
Cuba’s Leyanis Pérez Hernández finished second with 14.82m, while her compatriot Davisleydi Velazco took bronze with 14.73m.
The victory caps a breakthrough season for Sarr, who has steadily moved from African champion to a contender on the global stage.
Just days before the Brussels final, Sarr had already made history by becoming the first Senegalese athlete to qualify for a Diamond League Final. She has now gone one step further by becoming the country’s first Diamond League champion.
The 23-year-old arrived in Brussels as the reigning African champion and one of the leading triple jumpers in the world. Her rise has been underlined by a new Senegalese record of 15.08m, set in Silesia on August 23, when she also secured her first Diamond League victory.
That performance marked Sarr’s first time beyond 15 metres and broke the national record that had stood since 2004, further signalling her emergence as one of Africa’s leading field-event athletes.
Her Brussels triumph now adds a Diamond League title to an impressive 2026 résumé that already includes an African title and a World Indoor Championships bronze medal. World Athletics currently ranks Sarr No. 2 in the women’s triple jump.
For Senegal, however, the significance goes beyond the winning distance.
Sarr has become the first athlete from the West African nation to lift a Diamond League trophy, giving Senegal a landmark achievement in one of athletics’ premier annual competitions.
Her victory also strengthens Africa’s growing presence in the global field events, with Sarr now firmly established among the continent’s leading medal contenders.
From African champion to national record holder and now Diamond League champion, Sarr’s remarkable 2026 season has reached another historic peak in Brussels.