Team Nigeria Heads to Abidjan with Medal Ambitions

Team Nigeria Heads to Abidjan with Medal Ambitions

By Our Reporter 

Nigeria’s fencing team has expressed confidence ahead of the 2026 African Senior Fencing Championships scheduled to take place in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

The continental competition, which begins on May 2, will see Nigerian athletes compete in the men’s sabre, men’s individual and team epee, and women’s individual epee events.

Speaking before the team’s departure aboard Air Peace, national coach Ibrahim Alogba described the squad as a balanced mix of youth and experience, expressing optimism about the team’s prospects at the championships.

“We have a talented group of athletes who have prepared well for this competition. The combination of youthful energy and experienced campaigners gives us confidence that we can compete strongly against some of the best fencers on the continent,” Alogba said.

Nigeria’s challenge in the men’s sabre event will be led by Brou Inkosi, Phoenix Olen and Oluwafolayemi Akinyosoye. The trio will face stiff opposition, including Tunisia’s Fares Ferjani, the Paris 2024 Olympic silver medallist, and Egypt’s defending champion Ahmed Hesham.

In the men’s individual epee category, Diekolola Johnson and Leonard Chizim Aninyei will compete against a field of 44 athletes in pursuit of podium finishes.

Adebodunrin Thomas will represent Nigeria in the women’s individual epee event as the country’s sole female participant at the championships.

Nigeria will also contest the men’s team epee event during the five-day tournament, which is sanctioned by the International Fencing Federation (FIE).

The championships are expected to feature some of Africa’s leading fencing stars, including Kenya’s Alexandra Ndolo and Egypt’s Mohamed Elsayed and Mohamed Hamza, all aiming to defend their titles while earning valuable ranking points.

Traditional fencing powerhouses such as Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria will be joined by competitors from Nigeria, Kenya, Benin, Niger, Guinea, Mali, Senegal, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Angola, Togo and host nation Côte d’Ivoire.

The African Senior Fencing Championships comprise both individual and team competitions across the epee, sabre and foil disciplines, providing a key platform for Africa’s top fencers to showcase their talent on the continental stage.