Team Nigeria’s six-man squad is brimming with confidence as they prepare to compete in the 2025 World Junior and Cadet Fencing Championships in Wuxi, China, from April 7 to 15, Sports247 reports.
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The team comprises four boys and two girls, led by 17-year-old Inkosi Brou, the country’s highest-ranked fencer.
Brou, the grandson of the former Director-General of NAFDAC, aims to improve his world ranking ahead of the 2025 African Senior Championships in Lagos this June.
“My target is to make the top 16 in the junior men’s Sabre individual event, improve my junior FIE rank, and perform better than I did last year at the Junior/Cadet World Championships in Saudi Arabia,” Brou said.
The squad also includes the Idongesit siblings, who are making their international debut for Nigeria in China.
Eighteen-year-old Mahathir Idongesit aims to finish in the top eight, while 14-year-old Mahadi Idongesit is determined to reach the podium. “My target is to get on the podium and finish among the top three,” Mahadi said.
Thirteen-year-old Sara Idongesit is looking to gain valuable experience in her maiden international outing.
“My target in China is to reach the top 16 and give it everything I have. I see this as a valuable opportunity to learn and grow,” she said.
US-based Peluola Akinbamiro, who competed at this year’s African Junior Championships in Angola, has modest ambitions. “I am hoping to make it to the top eight or higher and that everything will run smoothly,” the 13-year-old said.
Several other African countries, including Algeria, Cameroon, Egypt, South Africa, Togo, and Tunisia, will also be competing in China.
The World Cadets and Juniors Fencing Championships are an annual international competition hosted by the International Fencing Federation (FIE).
