🇪🇬 REIGNING CHAMPIONS EGYPT CRUISE TO AFRICAN MEN’S TEAM EPEE GOLD

ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST — 4 JUNE 2026

World number 9 Egypt continued their gold rush on the fourth day of the 24th African Fencing Championships, successfully defending their men's team epee continental crown. The star-studded Egyptian lineup—comprising newly crowned five-time individual champion Mohamed Elsayed, individual bronze medallist Mahmoud Elsayed, Mahmoud Mohsen, and Youssef Shamel—proved far too strong for the rest of the field, comfortably defeating host nation Ivory Coast 45–26 in the gold medal final.

The victory cements an unblemished sweeping performance by Egypt across all three men's individual and team disciplines on the opening block of the championships.

The Ivory Coast celebrated a historic milestone by capturing an emotionally charged silver medal on home soil. Algeria won a breathless thriller to take home the bronze, while Libya finished a highly competitive run in fourth place.

Path to the Podium

Egypt (World number 9) entered the nine-team tournament as the definitive favorites and put on a clinic in high-percentage tactical fencing. After receiving an initial first-round bye, the reigning titleholders dismantled Morocco 45–28 in the quarter-finals before overwhelming Libya 45–17 in the semi-finals. In the gold medal clash against the host nation, Egypt shut down any hopes of a fairytale upset early. They established a dominant 15–6 lead after the first three legs, expanded that advantage to a 30–14 cushion after six bouts, and effortlessly cruised over the finish line.

Ivory Coast (World number 101) brought the Abidjan crowd to its feet with a legendary, heart-stopping drive to the final. Following an opening walkover win due to a Kenyan withdrawal, the Ivorian unit—featuring Bedi Beugre, Thomas Roussel, Oumarou Diarrassouba, and Paul Sekongo—engineered a brilliant 45–38 quarter-final upset over the higher-ranked South Africans.

Their semi-final clash with world number 37 Algeria became the absolute match of the tournament. The Ivorians trailed 15–13 and 30–27 early, and despite a gritty effort from Roussel to keep them close, they entered the anchor leg facing a massive 40–35 deficit. Stepping onto the strip under extreme pressure, Bedi Beugre produced a legendary performance for the home crowd, completely out-scoring Algeria's Imrane Mohammedi 10–4 to snatch a sensational 45–44 victory.

Algeria (World number 37) showed incredible resilience to bounce back from their single-touch semi-final heartbreak and claim a brilliant bronze medal. The balanced roster of Djamel Amari, Tamer Barkane, Imrane Mohammedi, and Idris Saoual engaged in a point-for-point boxing match against Libya for third place. Algeria led 15–12 early, but Libya clawed back to knot the score at 29–29 entering the final third.

The match looked lost for the Algerians when Libya's Yazin Bin Isawyd and Ahmed Alsiheeri went on back-to-back runs, leaving Algeria trailing 40–36 ahead of the final bout. However, Algerian anchor Idris Saoual saved the day, putting together a clinical 9–2 masterclass against Mohamed Alakhdar to turn the match on its head and seal a 45–42 victory.

Libya (World number 41) took home an incredibly proud fourth-place finish, capping off their finest championship campaign in recent history. The determined unit of Ahmed Alsiheeri, Mohamed Alakhdar, Ahmed Dannah, and Yazin Bin Isawyd cruised past Benin 44–31 in the quarter-finals. While they ultimately fell short of the podium against the tactical refinement of Egypt and Algeria, their gritty performance established Libya as a rising threat in continental team epee.

Full results here.