NAOMI Marjorie Cesar zoomed to a women’s 800-meter silver medal finish at the Dakar 4th Youth Olympic Games Monday afternoon in Senegal, early Tuesday in Manila. The 17-year-old Cesar clocked 2:09.34 to give the Philippines its first medal in a two-week sports spectacle, which will end on Friday. Cesar finished behind gold medalist Netsanet Selemon of Ethiopia, who topped the competition with a personal best of 2:04.43. Khadija Elmostaqim of Morocco settled for the bronze medal with 2:10.05. Running fourth in lane 5, Cesar said she turned it on in the final 100 m, where she went from fourth to second. “I was kind of waiting to turn it on in the end and go, and just tell myself that when I started, no one can catch me and I can catch whatever I set my sights on, so I trusted in myself,” she said. “I told myself that I worked so hard for this, so I’m not gonna go home in fourth,” added Cesar, younger sister of Filipinas national women’s football team member Malea. Naomi, who won a gold medal at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games like her sister Malea with the Filipinas, said winning a medal at the Youth Olympics felt surreal. “It still doesn’t feel real. When I crossed the line, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I just medaled at the Youth Olympics.’ It’s just so unreal, and I’m so happy and I’m so proud of myself.” Naomi said her Youth Olympics silver medal is just the beginning of something big like potentially making it to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. “Hopefully [I could qualify], but I haven’t really looked that far ahead but it’s on the table. My goal is to keep representing the Philippines and make everyone proud,” she said. As she chases her Olympic dream, Naomi encouraged her fellow dreamers to believe in themselves. “Just keep believing in yourself and chase your dreams, and don’t listen to anyone who said you can’t because you’re the only one who can tell yourself that so don’t tell yourself that.”