Tonye Sawari wins Knights Men’s Épée Satellite Fencing crown — Sport — The Guardian Nigeria News – Nigeria and World News

Nigeria’s Tonye Sawari won the 2022 Knights Men’s Épée Satellite Fencing tournament on Saturday with a 15-11 win over Moyosore Babalola.

In a hard-fought final at the Lagos Continental Hotel, both fencers went neck and neck just before the first break, while Babalola led 6-5.

In the final three minutes, a rejuvenated Sawari fired up his compatriot to lead 8 to 7 for the first time, with the clock counting down to one minute and 57 seconds.

With three more points in a row, Sawari extended his lead to 11 to 7 with about 80 seconds left. With 15 seconds left, Sawari put Daylight between himself and his opponent by 14 points to 9. Both scored a point just before the buzzer sounded for a final score of 15 to 10.

Sawari described his victory as a dream come true, saying that two months ago everyone he had defeated in the championship easily beat him in practice.

“I am very happy to be the winner here today and thank my family and the federation for their support,” he added.

He went home with a gold medal and $500 in prize money.

Silver medalist Babalola received $200, while Iyinoluwa Babarinsa of Nigeria and Djibril Affo-Mefi of Togo received $150 each.

Adeyinka Samuel, President of the Nigerian Fencing Federation (NFF), expressed her delight at the successful outcome of the event, which also included children as part of the side attractions commemorating World Fencing Day on September 10th.

“This is another milestone in the history of fencing in Nigeria as it is the first time a championship of this magnitude has been held in sub-Saharan Africa.

“Let me state categorically that fencing has stayed in Nigeria as interest in the sport has grown steadily in recent years,” he said.