The President of the Nigeria Fencing Federation, Adeyinka Samuel, has won a historic silver medal for Nigeria at the 2026 Commonwealth Fencing Championships, at Rugby School Nigeria, Atlantic City, Lagos.
Samuel, recently elected President of the Commonwealth Fencing Federation, became the first Nigerian sabre fencer to win a medal at the championships.
The former fencer, now a sports administrator, returned to competition after a 13-year absence to contest the men’s sabre veteran category.
The Nigerian faced seasoned opponents from Wales, Australia and Nigeria while competing in full fencing attire during his remarkable comeback. He won three of his four bouts, including a victory over fellow Nigerian fencer Tonye Sawari during the competition.
His only defeat came against Wales’ Oliver Massey, who eventually secured the gold medal in the veteran sabre event.
The performance earned Samuel silver, the first Commonwealth medal of his career and a significant milestone for Nigerian fencing. Samuel described the achievement as a long-awaited reward after narrowly missing medals at previous championships.
“I am so happy. I featured in two Commonwealth Championships, in 2006 and 2010 in Australia, and narrowly missed out on medals,” Samuel said.
“To finally win one as a veteran is a joy I will cherish for a long time. This shows that with determination, nothing is impossible.”
He said Nigeria’s growing success demonstrated the sport’s potential and justified greater national investment in fencing development.
“I am proud that Nigeria picked up several medals this time, and the performance of our young fencers proves fencing deserves greater attention,” he said.
Samuel also praised the organisation of the championship, describing it as the best Commonwealth Fencing Championships ever hosted.
He said his immediate priority as Commonwealth Fencing Federation President was securing fencing’s return to the Commonwealth Games programme. Samuel noted stronger cooperation between the International Fencing Federation and the Commonwealth body was essential for future growth.
According to him, closer collaboration would help expand participation across Commonwealth nations and raise fencing’s profile in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, India emerged as the most successful nation at the championship, topping the medal table with 20 gold medals. India finished with 20 gold, 17 silver and 16 bronze medals to dominate the competition.
England placed second overall with three gold, two silver and nine bronze medals. Host nation, Nigeria, recorded its best international fencing performance, finishing third with one gold, three silver and 13 bronze medals.
The result also made Nigeria the highest-ranked African country among the 20 nations participating in the championship. Wales and Cyprus won one gold medal each, but Wales secured fourth place after adding a bronze medal.
Australia finished with two silver and four bronze medals, while South Africa recorded two silver and one bronze. Northern Ireland also reached the medal table with a bronze medal at the championships.
The championship ends on Friday with a closing ceremony featuring fencing exhibitions and cultural performances.
