🇩🇿 ZOHRA KEHLI RECLAIMS AFRICAN SABRE TITLE AS BOUNGAB STUNS THE FIELD

ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST — 3 JUNE 2026

Algeria's world number 46 Zhora Kehli ascended to the top of the continental women’s sabre podium for the second time in her career, capturing the gold medal on the third day of the 24th African Fencing Championships. The 2022 African Champion displayed immense tactical authority throughout the direct elimination bracket in Abidjan, capping her day with a comprehensive 15–9 victory over Tunisia's Yasmine Daghfous in the final.

While Kehli took home the championship, the day belonged to the historic, bracket-shattering performance of her Algerian teammate Abik Boungab. Emerging from the ranking rounds without a single victory, Boungab engineered the largest upset in modern continental history to claim a stunning bronze medal.

The individual silver went to Daghfous (TUN), while Egypt's top-seeded Nagwa Nofal shared the bronze step with Boungab.

Path to the Podium

Zhora Kehli (World number 46) laid a strong foundation by winning four out of her five ranking round matches—with her solitary blemish coming at the hands of Egypt's Nofal. Entering the elimination bracket as the 4th seed, Kehli cruised past Senegal's Fatou Diallo 15–5 before stopping domestic teammate Chaima Benadouda 15–9 in the quarter-finals. In the semi-finals, Kehli got her redemption against top-seeded Nofal, executing a brilliant string of counter-attacks to win 15–9 before duplicating that exact scoreline against Daghfous to seal the gold.

Yasmine Daghfous (World number 519) celebrated a major career milestone by capturing her first-ever senior individual international podium, adding to her extensive collection of African Championship team medals. Seeded 3rd following an excellent 4–1 performance in the poules, the Tunisian star showcased ice-cold composure in the quarter-finals to survive a 15–14 absolute cliffhanger against Egypt's Najla Eldoksh, before halting Boungab's fairytale run 15–11 in the final four.

Abik Boungab (World number 569) authored the definitive, jaw-dropping storyline of the entire individual championships. A three-time former African Championship bronze medallist (2014, 2016, 2018), the veteran Algerian struggled heavily in the poules, dropping all four of her ranking round matches to slide into the bracket as the 15th seed.

However, the knockout stages completely reset her form. In the round of 16, Boungab shocked the entire arena by dethroning world number 30 and reigning African Champion Alanoud Hegazy (EGY) 15–13. She proved the giant-killing was no fluke by rolling past Senegal's Mame Awa Diedhiou 15–8 in the quarter-finals, cementing one of the most unpredictable bronze-medal paths the tournament has ever seen.

Nagwa Nofal (World number 105) secured the bronze medal, backing up her individual silver-medal performance from the 2024 edition of the tournament. The elegant Egyptian looked entirely in her element early on, tearing through the poules unblemished to lock down the number 1 overall seed. Following a first-round bye, Nofal routinely dispatched Cameroon's Marie-Chantal Essomba 15–6 in the quarter-finals before being checked by a highly clinical Kehli.

Full results here.