With five gone at the ongoing Lagos 2026 Commonwealth Fencing Championships, India has continued to dominate the medals table, but the event has also been exceptionally good for Team Nigeria.
 
Nigeria has surpassed all expectations, winning its first-ever gold and netting several other medals with two days to the end of competition at the Rugby School, Eko Atlantic, Lagos.
 
But one anthem has echoed louder and longer than any other – the national anthem of India. Time and again, it has been played to celebrate victory, a testament to the country’s overwhelming dominance at the tournament.
 
Across all three weapons – epee, sabre, and foil – the Indian fencers have proven themselves superior, sweeping aside challengers from Australia, England, Wales, South Africa, and hosts Nigeria. Their presence has been felt in every category, including the newly introduced wheelchair events, where they added yet more medals to their tally.
 
Men and women alike have carried the Indian flag to the podium, leaving only the veteran category yet to be contested, and even there, the team showed no sign of loosening its grip.
 
The medal table tells the story in stark numbers: India sits far ahead with 17 gold, 13 silver, and 13 bronze medals – a catalogue of triumph that reflects meticulous preparation and unyielding ambition. England trails in second place, with a haul of two gold, two silver, and nine bronze medals, while Nigeria and Cyprus complete the top four.
 
For Nigeria, the championships have already delivered a historic moment. Seventeen-year-old Oghenegaren Osievwo-Thompson stunned the field to claim the nation’s first-ever international fencing gold in the men’s U-23 epee. His victory stands as the lone gold for the host country, but it has inspired a new generation of Nigerian fencers.
 
Top-rated Oluwafolayemi Akinyosoye added to the tally with a bronze in the men’s sabre, while the wheelchair team contributed two silver and eight bronze medals, marking Nigeria’s best outing yet.
 
Cyprus, represented by a single athlete, left Lagos with a gold medal, ensuring the European nation’s place among the elite medal-winning teams. Australia, South Africa, Northern Ireland, and Wales also found their way onto the table, with Australia securing two silver and three bronze, South Africa earning two silver and one bronze, and Northern Ireland and Wales each claiming a bronze.