The opening day of the 2026 Junior and Cadet World Fencing Championships delivered a historic milestone at the Carioca Arena, the iconic heart of the Rio 2016 Olympic & Paralympic Games. Against a backdrop of Olympic history, Türkiye’s Furkan Yaman emerged as the new Junior Men’s Sabre World Champion, becoming the first fencer from his nation ever to capture a Junior World title.
Yaman, the 18-year-old Junior World number 1, entered the field of 171 athletes as the undisputed favorite. His victory in Rio crowns an almost flawless season where he secured three Junior World Cup titles (Hammamet, Bogota, and Dakar) and the Junior European title. Leading throughout the final, Yaman elevated Türkiye to the top of the Junior podium for the first time in fencing history.
While Turkey has previously celebrated success at the Cadet (U17) level, a Junior (U20) world title had remained elusive until today. Yaman now joins an elite group of Turkish world champions:
- 2024 (Riyadh): Doruk Erolçevik won gold in Cadet Men's Epee.
- 2022 (Dubai): Aleyna Ertürk claimed gold in Cadet Women's Epee.
- 2017 (Plovdiv): İbrahim Ahmed Acar became Turkey's first-ever fencing world champion with gold in Cadet Men's Sabre.
A Clash of Titans
The silver medal was claimed by the USA’s William Morrill. At just 19 years old, Morrill arrived in Rio in sensational form, having remarkably won a Senior World Cup title in Budapest just four days prior. Throughout the day, Morrill’s signature "ultra-long" attacks proved a deadly weapon, though he eventually had to settle for silver after a tight final.
The bronze medals were shared by two established stars. Ahmed Hesham (EGY) - the 19-year-old Senior World number 3 and two-time senior Grand Prix medallist concluded his junior career with a well-deserved World podium.
Nurmukhammed Zhailybay (KAZ) - The 19-year-old Junior World number 25 and former Cadet Asian Champion produced a career-best performance to secure bronze for Kazakhstan.
