Nigeria’s women’s epee team etched their names into the history books on Sunday with their first-ever victory at the African Fencing Championships, finishing a commendable fifth overall at the 23rd edition of the continental event held in Lagos.

The five-day championship, hosted at Charterhouse in Lagos by the Nigeria Fencing Federation, featured over 120 fencers from 18 countries. Egypt emerged as the dominant force, topping the medal table with 11 gold, 5 silver and 5 bronze.

After a hard-fought quarter-final loss to Algeria, the Nigerian trio of Somtochukwu Eribenne, Sara Idongesit, and Adebodunirin Thomas bounced back in the classification match for fifth place. Displaying grit and cohesion, they edged Benin Republic 45-40, sparking jubilant scenes from the home crowd.

Adebodunirin Thomas described the win as a crucial confidence boost.

 “We are excited to win our first game and also finish in the top five in the event,” she said. “We worked together as a team, and our coach helped us put up a good fight. This result will surely help our confidence going into the next competition.”

In the men’s team foil, Egypt continued their reign with a dominant showing. The Egyptian quartet, Abdelrahman Tolba (2025 men’s foil champion), Karim Medhat, Mohamed Hamza, and Sief Elghayesh, crushed Nigeria 45-9 in the semi-finals before easing past Angola 45-23 in the final.

Angola reached the final in dramatic fashion, edging Algeria 45-44 in a tense semi-final encounter. Despite trailing early on, the team, comprising Tomas Pedro, Valter Barros, Francisco Manuel, and Luis Macedo, mounted a spirited comeback to claim their first-ever podium finish at the event.

In the women’s team epee final, Egypt was awarded the gold medal following a controversial decision. With the match tied at 6-6, Algeria refused to continue, resulting in a P. Black decision in Egypt’s favour.

Egypt also clinched gold in the women’s team sabre, with Alanoud Hegazy, Nada Hafez, Nagwa Nofal, and Renad Eldoksh securing a 45-40 win over Algeria.

Following Egypt on the overall medal table was Kenya, which secured one gold. Tunisia came third with two silver and two bronze medals. Algeria finished fourth with one silver and six bronze medals, while Ivory Coast and South Africa each earned one silver and one bronze. Angola walked away with a silver, and Morocco, Cape Verde, and Senegal each claimed a bronze.