ANPS Awards 2026: Saly Sarr crowned best sportswoman, an Amadou Dia Bâ Trophy for a golden season

Saly Sarr was voted best sportswoman of the year during the ANPS Awards 2026, held on October 22, 2026. The Senegalese triple jumper won the Amadou Dia Bâ Trophy with 300 points, far ahead of Cheikh Thiam (savate boxing, 96 points) and Oumy Diop (swimming, 77 points).

This coronation awarded by the National Association of the Sports Press (ANPS) rewards an exceptional season for the 23-year-old athlete, originally from Ouakam, in Dakar. Throughout the year, she had a string of high-level performances in the Diamond League: a podium in Doha in June with a personal best of 14.86 m, a second place in Monaco in July (14.99 m), then her first victory in Silesia on August 23, accompanied by a new national record.

The high point came on September 4 in Brussels, during the Van Damme Memorial. With a jump of 14.96 m, Saly Sarr won the Diamond League final in the triple jump, ahead of Cubans Leyanis Pérez Hernández (14.82 m) and Davisleydis Velazco (14.73 m). She became the first Senegalese athlete, men and women alike, to win on this world circuit.

Reigning African champion and bronze medalist at the last World Indoor Championships, she confirms her status as a rising figure in African athletics.

OBN