Mahadi and Mahathir Idongesit will compete at the Junior Epee World Cup in Uzbekistan, representing Nigeria against top international fencing talents

Nigeria’s rising fencing stars, Mahadi and Mahathir Idongesit, are set to compete among 60 top contenders at the International Fencing Federation Junior Epee World Cup this weekend in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

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The tournament, originally scheduled for Lagos, was relocated to Uzbekistan to allow the Nigeria Fencing Federation to focus on hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Championships.

The Idongesit brothers made their international debut for Nigeria earlier in 2025 at the African Championships in Lagos.

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

President of the Nigeria Fencing Federation, Adeyinka Samuel, expressed optimism about the brothers’ participation.

“We are excited that our fencers are back in action after months of inactivity, particularly with the return of fencing tournaments,” Samuel said.

“Their participation will provide valuable experience ahead of the Commonwealth Championships. We hope more Nigerian fencers will begin competing at the top level to measure themselves against the best in the Commonwealth in 2026.”

Earlier this year at the African Championships in Lagos, Mahadi and Mahathir advanced out of their pools in the men’s epee before bowing out in the elimination rounds.

Mahathir narrowly lost to world junior champion Mahmoud El-Sayed in the round of 32.

Their sister, Sara Idongesit, contributed to Nigeria’s 45-40 win over the Benin Republic in the women’s epee team event, helping the team finish fifth, alongside Somtochukwu Eribenne and Adebodunirin Thomas.

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The Junior Epee World Cup will also feature fencers from Azerbaijan, Egypt, Greece, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Chinese Taipei, and host nation Uzbekistan, providing the Idongesit siblings with a challenging platform to showcase their skills on the global stage.