Brou Inkosi emerged as Nigeria’s best performer at the 24th African Fencing Championships in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, after finishing seventh in the men’s sabre event.
The 18-year-old competed in a strong field that included 2024 Olympic silver medallist Fares Ferjani of Tunisia and defending champion Ahmed Hesham of Egypt, who successfully retained his title.
Inkosi began his campaign in Pool 1 alongside Hesham.
He suffered narrow defeats to the Egyptian and Libya’s Mohamed Abujnah but responded with victories over opponents from Cape Verde, Algeria, Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire.
His performance in the group stage earned him a bye into the round of 16, where he edged Algeria’s Lotfi Ibrihen 15-14 in a closely contested bout.
The Nigerian then faced Hesham again in the quarter-finals and produced a spirited display that troubled the top seed on several occasions.
Despite showing tactical awareness and confidence against the defending champion, Inkosi eventually lost 15-9 as Hesham advanced on his way to a second consecutive continental title.
Seeded eighth before the competition, Inkosi finished seventh overall, ending the tournament ahead of several experienced competitors.
Compatriot Oluwafolayemi Akinyosoye also progressed from the group stage after recording two wins and three defeats.
Starting his knockout campaign in the round of 32, he defeated Côte d’Ivoire’s Emmanuel Kouadio 15-11 before losing 15-7 to Ferjani in the round of 16. He finished 13th among the 27 sabre fencers.
In the men’s epee category, Diekolola Johnson and Leonard Chizim Aninyei advanced from the group stage but were eliminated in the round of 32 after defeats to opponents from Cape Verde and South Africa.
Their progress represented an improvement on their performances at Lagos 2025, where they failed to advance beyond the group stage.
In the women’s epee event, Adebodunrin Thomas also progressed from the group stage but lost 15-12 to Egypt’s Loulwa Soliman in the round of 32. Kenya’s Alexandra Ndolo retained her continental title.
National coach Ibrahim Alogba praised the performances of the Nigerian contingent and said the competition provided valuable preparation for the 2026 Commonwealth Championships in Lagos.
Alogba said: “I must commend the fencers for their display because they all gave their best against the best.
“This is good for their confidence going into the Commonwealth Championships, and we hope some of them can still compete globally before the tournament in Lagos from August 9 to 14.”
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