Nigeria win more medals at C’wealth Fencing Champs

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Nigeria made history on home soil on Tuesday at the 2026 Commonwealth Fencing Championships, hosted at Rugby School Nigeria in Atlantic City, Lagos, clinching nine medals — seven bronze and two silver — and securing Africa’s first-ever international medal in wheelchair fencing.

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For the first time, an international wheelchair fencing event was staged in Africa, with Nigeria leading the way.

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In the women’s epee category A, Itunu Kumuyi and Joy Iorguma earned bronze medals after battling through to the semifinals before falling to their Indian opponents.

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The duo added two more bronze medals in the women’s foil wheelchair event.

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In category B, Joyce Otun and Abiola Rahamon also claimed bronze, underscoring Nigeria’s breakthrough in para-fencing. Chidinma Dennis added to the tally with a silver medal after bowing to India’s Sheranthi Thomas in the final.

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India, however, continued to assert its dominance in the women’s wheelchair category.

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Malti Panaure and Rekha Rekha claimed gold and silver respectively, delivering India its sixth gold medal in the wheelchair events and reinforcing the nation’s commanding presence in the competition.

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Programme Director of Wheelchair Fencing in the Nigeria Fencing Federation, Tonye Sawari, hailed the achievement as historic.

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“You cannot imagine that we started training just three months ago, yet our athletes quickly became competitive against countries with years of international experience,” Sawari said.

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“This is a remarkable beginning, and we hope to build on this success to raise the profile of wheelchair fencing in Nigeria. I am proud of our athletes for making their presence felt in this tournament and commend them for their spirited display.”

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Nigeria’s medal haul extended to the men’s senior sabre, where Oluwafolayemi Akinyosoye captured his first international medal.

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Ranked as Nigeria’s top competitor, Akinyosoye advanced from pool 2 into the knockout rounds, defeating England’s Charles Gellett 15–6 in the round of 16 and overcoming India’s Bebit Bright 15–12 in the quarter-final.

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Despite sustaining an early hand injury, he fought valiantly in the semifinal before bowing 15–10 to Australia’s Yoongi Shim, settling for bronze.

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With nine medals secured and a continental milestone achieved, Nigeria’s performance at the championships not only elevated the nation’s standing in fencing but also set a powerful precedent for the growth of both able-bodied and para-fencing across Africa.

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