Medals continue to pour in as day two wraps up at the 23rd edition of the African Fencing Championships, hosted in Lagos. Two more events concluded on Thursday at the ongoing 2025 tournament, according to PUNCH Online.
A total of 150 athletes from 18 different African nations are taking part in the competition, which is being held at Charterhouse Lagos.
In the women’s epee final, Kenya’s Alexandra Ndolo successfully retained her continental crown, overcoming Egypt’s Shirwit Gaber with a convincing 15-8 triumph.
Ndolo showed commanding form from the start, breezing through the early stages. But her semi-final bout against Oceane Tahe of Ivory Coast nearly disrupted her path to gold.
She stayed ahead for most of the match and once held a 13-10 lead, but Tahe rallied late to tie things up at 14-all. In a nail-biting final touch, Ndolo edged her opponent 15-14 to secure a place in the championship round.
“She’s one of the rising stars in African fencing. It was a tough match, but I’m glad I held on,” Ndolo said.
Meanwhile, Egypt’s Ahmed Hesham delivered a breakthrough performance on Thursday, capturing the men’s individual sabre title in his first-ever appearance at the senior level of the continental tournament.
On his debut outing, Hesham impressed with a cool-headed and dominant display, finishing with a 15-11 victory over fellow Egyptian and 2024 Olympic silver medalist Adham Moataz in the final.
The match began evenly, with both fencers locked at 4-4. Hesham, however, shifted gears and surged ahead with a barrage of precise strikes to win it 15-7. His emphatic celebration at the final point highlighted the magnitude of the win.
“It was very hard because I faced a lot of tough opponents on the way to the final. Of course, my teammate in the final was an experienced fencer. I’m proud of this moment—it’s my first African Senior Championships, and I came out with gold. I’m happy with my efforts today,” Hesham said.
The fencing spectacle resumes on Friday with contests in the men’s individual foil and women’s sabre events.
