Tayo Ogunseye
Nigeria finished fourth on the medal table as India emerged overall champions of the 2026 Commonwealth Fencing Championships, which ended after six days of intense competition in Lagos.
The championships, held at Rugby School Nigeria, Eko Atlantic City, made history as the first senior-level Commonwealth fencing competition hosted by an African country.
Competing on home soil, Team Nigeria recorded an impressive haul of one gold, five silver and 18 bronze medals to finish fourth among the participating nations.
Seventeen-year-old Oghenegaren Osievwa-Thompson was the standout Nigerian performer, securing a historic gold medal to become the first Nigerian to win an international gold in fencing.
Nigeria’s debut wheelchair fencing team also played a key role in the country’s medal success, accounting for a significant portion of the silver and bronze medals won by the host nation.
India dominated the championships with 25 gold, 20 silver and 18 bronze medals. Their supremacy was particularly evident on the final day, when the Indian wheelchair team swept the medals in its events.
England finished second with three gold, two silver and nine bronze medals, while Wales overtook Nigeria into third position following a late gold-medal success in the men’s veteran sabre.
South Africa completed the top five with one gold, three silver and one bronze medal.
The Lagos championships featured 20 nations, with Northern Ireland, Cyprus, Australia and Singapore among the countries that also secured medals.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, National Sports Commission Director General Bukola Olopade praised the Nigeria Fencing Federation and its President, Adeyinka Samuel, for successfully delivering the historic championships.
Olopade said the event had further enhanced Nigeria’s standing in world fencing and pledged sustained government support for the development of the sport. He also rewarded members of Team Nigeria with cash incentives for their performances.
For Samuel, the championships provided another historic milestone. The federation president, who was recently elected as the first African President of the Commonwealth Fencing Federation, also won a silver medal in the men’s veteran sabre.
Samuel expressed gratitude to the government, athletes, officials and other stakeholders who contributed to the success of the championships, while promising to build on the progress recorded in Lagos.
With Nigeria’s historic gold, strong showing by its wheelchair squad and successful hosting of the event, the 2026 Commonwealth Fencing Championships marked an important chapter in the country’s development and growing influence in international fencing.
