🇰🇪 FOUR-IN-A-ROW: ALEXANDRA NDOLO CONQUERS AFRICA AGAIN IN ABIDJAN

ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST — 2 JUNE 2026

World number 11 Alexandra Ndolo (KEN) extended her unchallenged supremacy on the continent, capturing her fourth consecutive individual women’s epee title at the 24th African Fencing Championships. The 2022 World Championship silver medallist and towering figure of African épée relied on veteran poise to silence a passionate home crowd, defeating the Ivory Coast's own Oceane Tahe 15–11 in a spectacular final.

The victory means Ndolo has remained entirely undefeated at the African Championships since making her historic federation switch to Kenya.

Tahe (CIV) upgraded her 2025 continental bronze to a historic silver on home soil after an exceptional knockout run. The bronze medals were shared by Egypt's former African Champion Nardin Ehab and up-and-coming talent Loulwa Soliman.

Path to the Podium

Alexandra Ndolo (World number 11) laid down an imposing marker in the opening poules, stringing together six consecutive victories to secure the number 1 overall seed. After a first-round bye, she executed a defensive masterclass to choke out Algeria’s Yousra Zebboudj 14–4. Ndolo’s true test of mettle came in the quarter-finals against Egypt's Aya Mahfouz; pushed to the absolute limit in a cagey tactical affair, the Kenyan star squeezed through 11–10. She then found her rhythm in the final four, out-pointing Ehab 15–12 before controlling the strip against Tahe to secure gold.

Oceane Tahe (World number 39) brought the Abidjan crowd to its feet with a brilliantly gritty run to the final. Securing the 3rd seed with a perfect 5–0 pool record, the Ivorian hero navigated a pair of grueling 15–13 battles against Egypt's Shirwit Hussein and Morocco's Camilia El Kord. In the semi-finals, Tahe utilized explosive flèche attacks to push past Soliman 15–11, though she was ultimately unable to break through Ndolo's formidable counter-offensive defense in the final.

Nardin Ehab (World number 36) added another impressive accolade to her resume, locking down bronze to go with her 2022 continental gold and 2025 silver. Advancing as the 5th seed, the technical Egyptian veteran routinely dispatched Nigeria's Yinlayefa Idongesit 15–10 before treating the arena to a clinical 15–6 dismantling of Algeria's Charline Larbu Bouanouina in the quarter-finals.

Loulwa Soliman (World number 99) celebrated the finest milestone of her young career, securing her first-ever senior individual international medal. Seeded 7th after a strong poule performance where her only blemish was a loss to Tahe, Soliman displayed incredible clutch execution in the elimination rounds. She fought past Nigeria's Sandra Thomas, South Africa's Phakama Yantolo, and Algeria's Selma Boukhekifa by matching 15–12 and 15–13 scores to guarantee her historic bronze.

Full results here.