Team Nigeria Edge South Africa, Senegal as Egypt Retain Title

Team Nigeria made a strong finish on the final day of the 2022 Cadet and Junior African Fencing Championship to place third on the overall medals’ table of the event concluded Sunday eveningat the Festival Hotel, Festac Lagos.

Africa’s top fencing nation, Egypt dominated the five-day championship while their closest rivals Algeria also gave a good account of themselves.

South Africa, Senegal and Libyya respectively occupied the third, fourth and fifth positions heading to the final day but were leapfrogged by Team Nigeria courtesy of two gold medals bagged in the Men’s Under-15 Foil through Wisdom Okanlawon and Iyanuoluwa Babarinsa in the women’s Under-15 Sabre.

Chizoro Nwokocha won silver for Nigeria in the women’s Under-15 Épée just as Iyanuoluwa Babarinsa got bronze in the Men’s Under-20 Epee while Team Nigeria men and women got bronze in the team event foil.

In the final classification, Egypt topped with 18 gold, 10 silver and 15 bronze medals with Algeria finishing second with 2 gold 3 silver and 9 bronze medals.

Host Nigeria came third with 2 gold 3 silver and 7 bronze medals.

South Africa, Senegal, Libya, Benin and Ghana, in order, placed fourth to eighth while Zimbabwe and Uganda finished with no medal.

“We are delighted to have finished strongly on the final day and the medals won showed lots of improvements from the last time we hosted in 2018 where we got two bronze medals,” a delighted Nigerian Fencing Federation President, Adeyinka Samuel, said.

International Fencing Federation (FIE) executive member, Novak Perovic lauded Nigeria for the high standard regarding the organization of the championship.

“Nigeria has met our expectations again like it did in 2018 regarding the organizing this championship and we are happy that the future of Nigerian fencing is very bright. Africa will surely benefit if a sport like fencing in Nigeria develops,” he said.