Idongesit brothers set for Fencing Junior W’Cup in Uzbekistan

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Nigeria’s rising fencing talents, Mahadi and Mahathir Idongesit, will be among the 60 competitors at this weekend’s International Fencing Federation Junior Epee World Cup in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Originally slated for Lagos, the tournament was relocated to Uzbekistan after the Nigeria Fencing Federation opted to channel its resources toward hosting a befitting Commonwealth Championships in 2026.

The Idongesit brothers, who made their international debut for Nigeria at the 2025 African Championships in Lagos, are eager to test their skills against some of the world’s best.

Mahadi currently holds a global ranking of 595, while Mahathir is placed at 608. Both will face stiff competition from highly-rated Egyptian stars, including world No. 4 Youssef Shamel and world No. 8 Eslam Osama.

The event will also feature fencers from Azerbaijan, Egypt, Greece, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Chinese Taipei, and host nation Uzbekistan.

Speaking ahead of the tournament, President of the Nigeria Fencing Federation, Adeyinka Samuel, expressed optimism about Nigeria’s return to the international stage.

“We are excited that our fencers are back in action after months of inactivity, particularly with the return of fencing tournaments. We are confident that their participation will help them gain valuable experience ahead of the Commonwealth Championships. We hope more of our fencers will return to action and begin competing at the top level, because they need these experiences to measure up against the rest of the Commonwealth nations in 2026.”

One such was the 45-40 win over the Benin Republic in the women’s epee team event which ensured Nigeria finished fifth in that category.

During their appearance for Nigeria in Lagos earlier this year at the African Championships, Mahadi and Mahathir made it out of their pools in the men’s epee before bowing out in the men’s event. Mahathir narrowly lost to world junior champion Mahmoud El-Sayed, in the round of 32.

Their sister, Sara Idongesit, was in the women’s epee team that beat the Benin Republic 45-40 to finish fifth, alongside Somtochukwu Eribenne and Adebodunirin Thomas.

Abiodun, who reports Sports for PUNCH, covers different tiers of the Nigerian football league, the national teams, as well as cricket, in the last six years

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