2024 Men’s Junior Epee Fencing World Cup ends in Nigeria with Egypt and Saudi Arabia dominating

Fencers from Egypt and Saudi Arabia dominated the 2024 Men’s Junior Epee Fencing World Cup, which took place in Lagos, Nigeria, on December 14 and 15.

The two-day tournament was a historic event, as Nigeria became the first country in Sub-Saharan Africa to host a Fencing World Cup, with seven nations and 39 fencers competing for top honours and world rankings at the prestigious Charterhouse Lagos.

At the conclusion of the tournament, Egypt emerged victorious in the team event, defeating Greece in the final to claim gold. Saudi Arabia secured the bronze medal. Nigeria, despite being placed in a challenging preliminary group alongside Egypt, managed to finish in seventh place in the team competition.

In the singles event, Egypt’s Shamel Youssef claimed the top prize, defeating Saudi Arabia’s Abed Hassan to win gold. Two other Egyptians, Elsayed Mahmoud and Osama Eslam, shared the bronze. Nigeria’s best performance in the singles event came from Ige Olumuyiwa, who ranked 27th but was eliminated in the round of 32 by Greece’s Theodoropoulos Panagiotis. Other Nigerian fencers, including Fashola Oluwashemilore and former African cadet champion Wisdom Okanlawon, finished in 31st and 32nd positions, respectively.

Despite the challenges in hosting the tournament, the President of the Nigeria Fencing Federation, Adeyinka Samuel, hailed the event as a significant achievement for Nigeria. “We are grateful that we can host such a tournament. It has been challenging, especially financially,” Samuel said. He expressed hope that this successful hosting would open doors for more competitions and partnerships, including collaborations with Italian and British fencing federations, aiming to develop Nigeria’s fencing scene further. With this goal, Samuel envisions future tournaments that will help spread the sport across Nigeria.