Lagos: Defending champion Mohamed El-Sayed retained his title in the Men’s Individual Épée at the 23rd African Fencing Championships held on Wednesday in Lagos.
Sara Amr also celebrated her first continental title after winning the Women’s Individual Foil event at the same championship.
The five-day tournament occurs at Charterhouse, Lagos.
World No. 1 El-Sayed defeated compatriot Mahmoud Had Mohsen 11–10 in a tightly contested final to claim the tournament’s first gold medal.
He dominated the early rounds but faced a tough challenge in the semifinals, edging his brother, Mahmoud El-Sayed, 15–14 in a thrilling encounter.
In the women’s foil, second seed Sara Amr won her maiden African crown with a convincing 15–8 victory over Côte d’Ivoire’s Isabel Esteban.
In the semifinal clash, Amr had earlier edged her teammate and 2024 bronze medallist, Noha Hany, 15–13.
Esteban stunned top seed Malak Hamza of Egypt 15–8 in the other semifinal but settled for silver after losing to Amr.
After her triumph, Amr said she remained calm and focused throughout the tournament despite facing strong opponents.
“I focused on staying calm and managing each match one at a time. It wasn’t easy, but I’m proud of how I handled the pressure,” Amr said.
