Nigeria Fencing Federation President Adeyinka Samuel has won a historic silver medal at the 2026 Commonwealth Fencing Championships in Lagos, becoming the first Nigerian sabre fencer to medal at the competition.
Samuel, who recently became President of the Commonwealth Fencing Federation, returned to competitive fencing after a 13-year absence to compete in the men’s veteran sabre category at the championship held at Rugby School Nigeria, Atlantic City, Lagos.
The former fencer won three of his four bouts, including a victory over fellow Nigerian Tonye Sawari. His only defeat came against Wales’ Oliver Massey, who went on to win the gold medal. Samuel said the silver was a long-awaited reward after narrowly missing out on medals at the 2006 and 2010 Commonwealth Championships.
He described Nigeria’s performance as evidence of the country’s growing potential in fencing and called for greater investment in the sport. Samuel also identified the return of fencing to the Commonwealth Games programme as one of his immediate priorities as Commonwealth Fencing Federation president.
India dominated the championships, finishing top of the medal table with 20 gold, 17 silver and 16 bronze medals. England placed second, while Nigeria finished third overall with one gold, three silver and 13 bronze medals, making it the highest-ranked African country among the 20 participating nations.
The championship, which ends on Friday, has produced Nigeria’s best international fencing performance and further raised hopes for the development of the sport and the emergence of more Nigerian champions.
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