Nigeria added six medals to their haul at the 2026 Commonwealth Fencing Championships in Lagos on Tuesday, with the country’s wheelchair fencers making history on their international debut.
The hosts claimed one silver and five bronze medals, with five coming from wheelchair fencing before Oluwafolayemi Akinyosoye added another bronze in the senior men’s sabre at Rugby School, Eko Atlantic.
The wheelchair results carried particular significance as Lagos 2026 is the first Commonwealth Fencing Championships where wheelchair fencing is being contested as an official medal event, following its introduction as a demonstration event in London in 2022.
Nigeria had only begun preparing its wheelchair fencers three months before the competition, but the hosts emerged with medals across the women’s epee categories.
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Itunu Kumuyi and Joy Iorguma claimed bronze medals in the women’s epee Category A after progressing to the semi-finals, where their respective runs were ended by Indian opponents.
Nigeria added two more bronze medals in Category B through Joyce Otun and Abiola Rahamon.
Chidinma Dennis went one better by reaching the final and securing silver after losing to India’s Sheranthi Thomas in the gold-medal contest.
The five medals represented an immediate breakthrough for Nigeria’s fledgling wheelchair fencing programme at a championship which organisers had identified before the event as an important opportunity to develop the discipline in the country.
Ahead of the competition, the Nigeria Fencing Federation had also announced plans for a wheelchair fencing academy in partnership with World Ability Sports, aimed at developing athletes, coaches and referees.
Tonye Sawari, Programme Director of Wheelchair Fencing at the Nigeria Fencing Federation, described the performance as a significant starting point considering the limited preparation time available to the athletes.
“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.
“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.”
Akinyosoye takes senior sabre bronze
Nigeria’s medal success was not restricted to wheelchair fencing as Akinyosoye secured his first international medal with bronze in the senior men’s sabre.
The Nigerian advanced from Pool 2 into the direct elimination rounds before defeating England’s Charles Gellett 15-6 in the round of 16.
Akinyosoye then faced India’s Bebit Bright in the quarter-finals and secured a 15-12 victory to guarantee himself a place on the podium.
His bid to reach the final was complicated by a hand injury sustained early in his semi-final against Australia’s Yoongi Shim.
Despite continuing the contest, Akinyosoye was eventually beaten 15-10, leaving him with bronze and his first international medal.
The result adds another significant achievement for Nigeria at the championships following Oghenegaren Esiovwa-Thompson’s historic victory in the men’s U-23 epee on Sunday.
Esiovwa-Thompson became Nigeria’s first Commonwealth Fencing Championships gold medallist when he defeated India’s Lokesh Vemani 15-5 in the final.
Lagos 2026 is already a landmark competition for African fencing. Nigeria is the first African country to host the Senior and Veteran Commonwealth Fencing Championships, while the introduction of U-23 individual events and wheelchair fencing as a medal discipline has further expanded the programme.
Twenty Commonwealth countries registered for the championships, with India bringing the largest contingent of 67 fencers across the senior, veteran, U-23 and para categories.
For Nigeria, the five wheelchair medals provide an encouraging foundation for a programme still in its infancy, while Akinyosoye’s senior bronze adds to the country’s growing list of breakthroughs on home soil.
The championships continue in Lagos until August 14.
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