Teenage fencing sensation Peluola Akinbamiro has described her debut at the recently concluded 2025 African Junior Fencing Championships as a valuable learning experience in her quest to compete at the Olympic Games.
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The US-based 13-year-old fencer participated in the continental tournament to gain experience and prepare for the 2025 World Junior Fencing Championship in China from April 7 to 15, as well as the Senior African Championship in June.
An excited Peluola Akinbamiro said, “I did not feel any pressure in my debut for Nigeria at the African Junior Championships. My goal was to do my best for my country and myself.”
” The tournament was challenging, and looking ahead to the event in China, I am determined to avoid repeating the mistakes I made here. The ups and downs during the competition affected
my performance, but they taught me to always be ready and strive to be my best.”
” My dream is to be part of the Nigerian Olympic team for Los Angeles 2028 when I will be 16 and at the right age to compete.”
Meanwhile, teenage fencing sensation Inkosi Brou, who secured Nigeria’s only medal at the 2025 African Junior Fencing Championships in Luanda, Angola, has climbed to 22nd in the world junior rankings.
Before the African tournament, Brou was ranked 23rd globally, but his bronze medal finish in Angola has boosted his ranking. Brou, the grandson of former Director General of NAFDAC, Prof. Dora Akunyili, is considered one of the most active fencers in Africa and the world.
He has competed in several tournaments this year in his bid to secure a ticket to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games as the first Nigerian to feature in the fencing event. Brou is expected to compete this month in Budapest, Hungary.
To win a medal in Angola, Brou dominated his group, which included fencers from Egypt, Senegal, Algeria, and Guinea, to qualify for the round of 16. From the knockout stage, he had a bye to the quarterfinals, where he defeated Senegal’s Lotfi Ibrihen 15-6, setting up a semifinal clash with Egypt’s third seed, Yassin Khodir.
The quarterfinal match against Khodir was tough, with Brou matching the Egyptian strength-for-strength throughout the encounter.
However, inexperience may have contributed to Brou’s narrow 15-11 loss, resulting in a bronze medal and Nigeria finishing sixth at the continental championships.
Akinbamiro and Brou are also preparing for the World Junior Championships next month in China, with home-based Wisdom Okanlawon expected to join the training camp before the world championships kick off.
