Idongesit siblings launch 2026 campaign at Junior Fencing World Cup
Nigeria’s rising fencing stars, Sara and Mahathir Idongesit, will begin their 2026 season at the FIE Junior World Cup in Cairo, Egypt, scheduled for January 30–31. Ranked among Africa’s most active fencers in 2025, the siblings’ participation highlights Nigeria’s growing presence in youth fencing and the Nigeria Fencing Federation’s commitment to international exposure for young […]
Nigeria’s rising fencing stars, Sara and Mahathir Idongesit, will begin their 2026 season at the FIE Junior World Cup in Cairo, Egypt, scheduled for January 30–31.
Ranked among Africa’s most active fencers in 2025, the siblings’ participation highlights Nigeria’s growing presence in youth fencing and the Nigeria Fencing Federation’s commitment to international exposure for young talents.
The duo will depart Nigeria on January 25 to join the FIE-organised training camp at the Indoor Hall of Cairo Stadium, where they will train under elite coaches. Sara will compete in the women’s junior category, while Mahathir faces a strong men’s field featuring top global and African contenders.
Mahathir’s opponents include World No. 1 Schembri Kruz, World No. 5 Chen Bing-Jyun, World No. 3 Pelle Domonkos, and Africa’s No. 1 Shamel Youssef, ranked sixth globally.
Based in Malaysia, the Idongesit siblings made their international debut for Nigeria at the 2025 African Championships in Lagos and have since gained valuable exposure ahead of the 2026 Commonwealth Championships, also scheduled for Lagos.
Over 30 countries will participate in the two-day FIE-sanctioned tournament, including Egypt (host), Algeria, Russia, Angola, Australia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Brazil, Bahrain, Bulgaria, Chile, China, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Spain, Estonia
France, Great Britain, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Mexico, Mauritius, Nigeria, Norway, New Zealand, Oman, Panama, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Singapore, Switzerland, Slovakia, Chinese Taipei, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United States.