Nigeria’s fencing competitors have pushed aside wild celebrations of their historic exploits at the recent continental contest in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, as they have started thinking about the Commonwealth Championship coming up in Lagos.
Sports247 reports that the Nigerian contingent returned with their heads held up from the 24th African Fencing Championship, where their performances raised hope for future competitions, much to the delight of the coach, Ibrahim Alogba.
Alogba praised the team’s performance, which he described as a valuable piece of exposure and adequate preparation for this year’s Commonwealth Fencing Championship in Lagos from August 9th to 14th.
He gave particular mention of Brou Inkosi, who placed seventh in the men’s sabre event at98 the championship, where he competed alongside Oluwafolayemi Akinyosoye and Phoenix Olen, against defending champion, Ahmed Hesham of Egypt.
Like Inkosi, Akinyosoye also advanced from the group stage, winning two games and losing three, while Diekolola Johnson and Leonard Chizim Aninyei progressed from the group stage in the men’s epee, but they both exited in the round of 32.
Their advancement marked an improvement from Lagos 2025, where they failed to progress beyond the first stage, while Adebodunrin Thomas moved from the women’s epee group stage but lost 15-12 to Egypt’s Loulwa Soliman in the round of 32.
Coach Alogba declared that the competition provided great opportunities for the Nigerian fencers to sharpen their skills ahead of their participation as hosts of the upcoming Commonwealth Championship in Lagos.
“I must commend the fencers for their display because they all gave their best. This is good for their confidence going into the Commonwealth Championships, and we hope some of them can still compete globally before the tournament,” Alogba enthused.
