🇪🇬 ABDELRAHMAN TOLBA CRUSHES FIELD IN ABIDJAN TO RETAIN AFRICAN FOIL CROWN

ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST — 3 JUNE 2026

Egypt's world number 12 Abdelrahman Tolba put on a masterclass in aggressive precision on the third day of the 24th African Fencing Championships, successfully defending his individual men’s foil continental crown. The teenage phenom dominated the men's foil individual event in Abidjan, cruising to a comprehensive 15–7 victory over Senegal's surprise finalist Noe Robin.

The gold caps a sensational individual campaign for Tolba, while Robin upgraded his 2025 bronze to a historic silver medal. The bronze medals were shared by Egypt's top-seeded world number 8 Mohamed Hamza and Angola's Luis Macedo.

Path to the Podium

Abdelrahman Tolba (World number 12) set an imposing rhythm from the opening bouts, sweeping all five of his ranking round matches to secure the number 2 seed for the direct elimination stage. Following a first-round bye, the defending champion routinely dismantled South Africa's multi-weapon veteran Pavel Tychler 15–7, before repeating that exact scoreline to eliminate Algeria's Salim Heroui in the quarter-finals. Tolba then hit top gear, effortlessly dictating the distances to defeat Angola's Macedo 15–8 in the semi-finals and completely out-fencing Robin in the final.

Noe Robin (World number 47) manufactured an extraordinary run to the final, engineering the definitive giant-killing story of the tournament. Seeded 4th after winning four of his five poule fights, the Senegalese star methodically advanced past Angola's Tuku Pedro and Egypt's Mostafa Haffour 15–11. Robin then found himself in a high-voltage semi-final clash against two-time African Champion Mohamed Hamza. In a point-for-point tactical thriller, Robin produced a sensational counter-offensive touch on the final phrase to shock the world number 8 with a 15–14 triumph.

Mohamed Hamza (World number 8) had to settle for a surprise bronze medal after looking thoroughly unstoppable early in the day. The top-seeded Egyptian posted a flawless 6–0 pool record to claim the number 1 overall seed, followed by a clinical 15–5 knockout of Angola's Artur Pedro. Hamza then showcased elite blade speed to push past Mali's Mathieu Cheickh Jaques Prats 15–10 in the quarter-finals, before his golden ambitions were dramatically checked by Robin by a single touch.

Luis Macedo (World number 64) celebrated an exceptional milestone, capturing his second consecutive African Championship bronze medal. Macedo marched through the ranking round unblemished, locking down a perfect 5–0 record to emerge as the 3rd seed. The Angolan star showcased outstanding tactical poise in the elimination bracket, securing a tight 15–12 win over Cape Verde's Victor Alvares de Oliveira, before matching that 15–12 scoreline to upset home favorite and 2024 bronze medallist Jeremy Fafa Keryhuel (CIV) in the quarter-finals.

Full results here.