Nigerian fencers relish W’Cup experience

Despite not reaching the podium at the 2024 Men’s Junior Epee Fencing World Cup hosted in Lagos from December 14 to 15, the seven fencers who represented Nigeria at the tournament say they have learnt valuable lessons ahead of subsequent competitions, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Nigeria played host to seven other countries with 39 fencers going head-to-head for the medals and world rankings at the prestigious Charterhouse Lagos, becoming the first country in Sub-Saharan Africa to host a Fencing World Cup.

Despite facing a tough preliminary group which had Egypt, Nigeria managed to finish seventh in the team event which saw Egypt and Saudi Arabia emerge as the dominant forces.

The highest-ranked Nigerian fencer in the singles event was Ige Olumuyiwa – in No.27 – who was edged out in the round of 32 by Greece’s Theodoropoulos Panagiotis.

Fashola Oluwashemilore, who was beaten by eventual winner Shamel, was ranked 31st while former African cadet and national junior champion, Wisdom Okanlawon, finished in the 32nd position.

“It was a good experience since it’s my first. I’ve met many fencers and they can see how far Nigeria has come in the game,” Fashola said.

“All the other countries brought their best fencers to participate. Even though it’s not a popular sport here, many of us haven’t been doing it for long or consistently but we were able to go far, it’s a good achievement since we are going up against some of the best in the world.”

National champion, Okanlawon also said, “I’m very excited and I am proud of Nigeria for being able to get the hosting right for this competition. What we can do to improve is to go for more competitions and keep facing these fencers. We also have to keep training and we will do better in subsequent outings.”

President of the Nigeria Fencing Federation Adeyinka Samuel also hailed the players.

“I am a former athlete and I’ve represented Nigeria at World Cups and Grand Prix, I dare say they are very tough. For most of the countries attending, they have to be in the top 20 in the world and they brought their best fencers. So, for our fencers, they have shown a lot of heart, this is the first World Cup for all of them; they made the cut which is even tougher to make. We are impressed.”

Meanwhile, the president of British Fencing, Pat Aiyenuro, expressed her admiration for the tournament’s organisation, noting that it has positioned Nigeria as a promising host for future events.

“I have been very impressed. The venue is amazing; the organisation and refereeing were impressive. We are privileged to have some of the top fencing nations here, including a world champion, which shows their confidence in Nigeria’s ability to host a top-tier competition,” she said.