Oghenegaren Esiovwa-Thompson makes history with Nigeria's first Commonwealth Fencing gold

Sixteen-year-old Oghenegaren Esiovwa-Thompson made history at the Commonwealth Fencing Championships on Sunday. He won Nigeria’s first-ever gold medal in the men’s U-23 epee. The event took place at Rugby School Nigeria in Atlantic City, Lagos.

This was Esiovwa-Thompson's first time competing for Nigeria after he switched from England. He surprised everyone by defeating three Indian opponents to reach the podium.

In the final, Esiovwa-Thompson showed his skills by beating Asian champion Lokesh Vemani from India 15, 5. The young Nigerian kept his cool against a more experienced opponent. India’s Godwin Natarajan and Ashwini Shaurya took home bronze medals.

Esiovwa-Thompson's journey to the gold was impressive. He started in Pool 4 and went through unbeaten, which allowed him to top his group. This earned him a bye into the round of 16. There, he took down South Africa’s Karabo Mathobela 15, 7, and then he overwhelmed India’s Shivaansh Kapoor 15, 2 in the quarter-final.

The Road to Victory

The semi-final was tougher. He faced Ashwini Shaurya, but with support from the home crowd, Esiovwa-Thompson won 15, 11. This victory set him up for the final against Vemani.

Before switching to represent Nigeria, Esiovwa-Thompson had already enjoyed success on the international stage. He won gold in the U-13 boys’ epee at the 2022 Wratislavia Challenge. He also earned a bronze in the cadet men’s epee team event in Naples while he was with England.