Welsh Fencing sent a delegation of thirteen fencers to Lagos, Nigeria to compete in the first ever Commonwealth Fencing Championships held on African soil in August 2026.
The Welsh team comprised of seasoned campaigners and fencers making their first ever Commonwealth, with competitors across U23, Senior, Veteran and Senior & Veteran team events. The event was being staged at the fantastic venue of Rugby School, a new purpose built facility that occupies a prime site in the amazing Eko Atlantic development, a new city reclaimed from the Atlantic on the Southern edge of the biggest city in Africa.
The U23 event kicked off the Championships, with Welsh interest in the Men’s Foil, Men’s Epee and Women’s Sabre events. Will Ferguson led the charge and claimed 5th spot in epee, before Harri Picton-Tully and Alfie Smith both broke into the top eight, finishing in 6th and 7th respectively. While in the Women’s sabre, Daisy Cole, was our sole representative and despite her youth not only managed to claim 7th position but was a lynchpin of the squad throughout the trip.
The Senior events began with Men’s Foil and Women’s Sabre – with the U23 squad also being joined by Tom Prince and Jack Davies in Men’s foil. In a strong field, the pick of results went to Jack who finished in 8th spot, while the rest of the team put in strong performances with Alfie in 14th, Harri in 17th and Tom in 19th. Daisy once again faced many of her U23 opponents and put in some encouraging performances, before losing out in the last 16 to the eventual silver medallist.
Senior Men’s Epee was the next event with Welsh interest, where Neale Thomas, Jed Houghton and Marc Burkhalter joined Will in the biggest field at the event. Close matches were the order of the day, with both Neale and Jed losing out in the last 32, to finish in 25th & 23rd. Will fenced a great match against the South African second seed in the round of 16, and despite a great effort, just lost out to take 15th. While the pick of the day was Marc, who took out the top seed in the 8th to secure a semi-final place, and in an attritional contest lost out to a talented Indian fencer. This bronze medal was not only a great result on the day but a remarkable career achievement, earning Marc his 8th Commonwealth medal.
In Senior Men’s Sabre, Ben Willmott was making his first appearance at a Commonwealths and in a tough field he finished in 13th spot. His energy, enthusiasm and determination were a testament to the hard work he put in to achieve this goal and he was an integral part of the Welsh Team throughout the week.
The final day of the Senior event was teams day, and the Welsh Men’s Epee and Foil teams were supported by vocal, energetic and passionate support from the rest of the Welsh delegation. Men’s Epee progressed through to the semi-final, where they lost out to a very strong Indian team, before they faced England in a bronze medal match that was arguably the match of the day. Both teams contributed to a fantastic display of fencing, and despite losing out by a single touch, the Welsh team gave it their all in a fantastic performance. In Men’s Foil, the Welsh team again found themselves in a third place play off and fell to another very strong Indian team.
This brought the Senior events to a close, and while many of the team departed, it was just the beginning of the Veterans events. Marc and Neale were joined by Oliver, David M and David V and it is safe to say the Veterans ensured that Wales finished the Championships in style. Firstly, Oliver began the day by claiming the Men’s Sabre title with David V finishing in 5th. With little rest the foil and epee events began in earnest, and in Men’s Foil, Oliver once again found himself on the podium, claiming a well-earned bronze medal, with David M and David V in 7th and 8th. The Men’s Epee event was very hotly contested, with several fencers doubling up from the senior events. David V and David M put in great performances to finish in 17th & 9th places. Marc, despite picking up an injury, fenced superbly to take 5th spot. Neale claimed another bronze for Wales, and Oliver found himself on the finals piste once more, and added a silver medal to his collection.
The final event of the Championships was Veterans Men’s Team Epee. A week of drama, excitement, joy, heartbreak, humidity, frustration, dedication, laughter, passion and much more besides ended with a perfect full-stop for Team Wales, as our Men’s Epee team claimed the final gold medal of the Championships. This was a fantastic team performance and helped to guide Wales to a third-place finish overall.
The Welsh team displayed the very best of our nation, and Welsh Fencing, and conducted themselves with good humour, dedication, friendship, determination and camaraderie on and off the piste. This team spirit was not just achieved by the fencers, but the family members who made their way to Lagos to support the team, and added so much value to the trip, the fencers and the team.
The Nigerian Fencing Federation and the people of Lagos extended their friendship and support to all our team and hosted a truly wonderful spectacle of fencing. While the Commonwealth Fencing Federation ran a competition that allowed all fencers the best chance to compete for their nations in a sport they love. We thank them all for their hard work and support of our team, the event and fencing.
The Welsh Fencing board was instrumental in allowing our Welsh Delegation the opportunity to compete in this wonderful event, with our Chair, Marc, being paramount to the success and viability of this trip. Our squad owe them, a debt of gratitude for allowing the trip to proceed so well.
Finally, a huge thank you to our fencers and their families. Without the dedication, sacrifice and desire of all our team we could not fly the Welsh flag on the global stage. To send one of the biggest delegations to the Championships was no mean feat, and through your fencing, personality and comradeship we left a marker both on and off the piste. We wish all the very best to our fencers for the rest of the season ahead, and eyes are already turning to future planning and Commonwealths of the future.
O ṣeun, Eko
Diolch o galon
Mike Evans-Jones
Team Manager
Nigeria 2026