Puerto Rican judoka Lenishka Figueroa Cirino ended her participation in the under-78 kilogram category of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games on Tuesday after losing two matches at the Judo Pavilion of the Dakar Expo Center. She opened the competition with a loss by ippon to Arba Hasanaj of Kosovo, who was her delegation’s flag bearer and placed fifth in the 2025 Cadet European Cup.
In the repechage round, Figueroa Cirino faced Ashly Herrera of Nicaragua in a bout that went to golden score, the tie-breaking period contested when neither competitor wins during regulation time. Herrera scored the decisive ippon during the tiebreak, ending Figueroa Cirino’s run in the tournament. The judoka was part of the Puerto Rico delegation competing at the Youth Olympic Games, an international event that brings together athletes aged 15 to 18 across various sports disciplines.