Spread the wordOn Sunday, August 9, Oghenegaren Esiovwa-Thompson made history at the Commonwealth Fencing Championships, winning Nigeria’s first-ever gold medal in the men’s U-23 epee at Rugby School Nigeria in Atlantic City, Lagos. To claim the crown, Esiovwa-Thompson produced a masterclass in the final, defeating Asian champion Lokesh Vemani of India 15–5. At just sixteen, Esiovwa-Thompson has already etched his name into Nigeria’s sporting history—not only as the first Nigerian to win a medal at the tournament, but also as the first to capture gold at any international fencing event. Before pledging allegiance to Nigeria, Esiovwa-Thompson had already tasted international success—winning gold in the U-13 boys’ epee at the 2022 Wratislavia Challenge and bronze in the cadet men’s epee team event in Naples while representing England. Elsewhere at the championships, England’s Oliver Strange claimed the first gold medal of the tournament, defeating India’s Manoj Patil in the men’s U-23 foil final, while India’s Singh Sanasam and England’s Thomas James took bronze.