Nigeria tops Africa with 24 medals at 2026 Commonwealth Fencing Championship

Nigeria finished as Africa’s leading nation at the 2026 Commonwealth Fencing Championship in Lagos, taking third place overall with 24 medals. The haul comprised one gold, five silver and 18 bronze medals after six days of competition involving 20 countries.

India finished ahead of Nigeria in the overall standings, but the hosts secured the highest position among the participating African nations. The result marked a strong showing for Nigerian fencing at a championship staged on home soil.

The standout performance came from 17-year-old Oghenegaren Osievwa-Thompson, who won the gold medal. His victory made him the first Nigerian to claim an international gold medal in fencing, giving the country a landmark achievement in the sport.

Osievwa-Thompson’s performance has earned him a place in Elite Category A of the National Sports Commission’s Olympic grants programme. The new support arrangement will provide him with a quarterly training grant of $10,000 as he prepares for the Olympic Games.

The National Sports Commission also rewarded Nigeria’s medal-winning athletes. A separate $10,000 award was presented to the Nigerian wheelchair fencing team for its performance at the championship.

The competition also tested Nigeria’s ability to host a major international event. Fencing Federation president Adeyinka Samuel said preparations had lasted more than a year and that the organisers had dealt with the challenges involved in staging the championship. The Lagos event therefore delivered both a major medal return and a notable milestone for the country’s fencing programme.