Canada’s Simon Shan overturns deficit to win Dakar épée gold
Canada’s Simon Shan beat Serbia’s Vukan Radjenovic 15-9 in the men’s épée final at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar. The 17-year-old said he had trailed 7-5 before a decisive second-period run. The victory reversed their pool-stage result and added Olympic youth gold to Shan’s recent world and Pan American medals.
Sports··Midday
A second-period turnaround
Canadian fencer Simon Shan won men’s épée gold at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, defeating Serbia’s Vukan Radjenovic 15-9. The 17-year-old champion had lost to the same opponent in the pool stage. Their final ended with Shan ahead after he had spent part of the bout trailing.[1], [2]
Both fencers received passivity red cards early in the final. Radjenovic held a one-point advantage at the end of the first period. Shan said he was 7-5 behind midway through the bout, but completing an action he wanted to use gave him confidence. His 10-2 second-period run finished the contest. The score at the finish was 15-9.[1]
The route to the medals
Shan reached the final by beating Belgium’s Wout Van Laecke 15-10 in the semifinal. Radjenovic advanced through the other half of the draw with a 15-6 win over Romania’s Stefan Popa. The two semifinal winners then met again following their earlier pool encounter, with the Canadian winning the title bout.[1]
Van Laecke took bronze with a 15-12 victory over Popa. Their match was level at 5-5 after the first period. Popa received a yellow card for barging and then a red early in the second period. Van Laecke led by two points after that period and protected his advantage in the third.[1]
Shan’s earlier medals
Shan is third in the cadet world rankings and had won world bronze in 2025 and silver in 2026. His junior results include a team World Cup title in Basel, Switzerland, three other team silvers and an individual bronze. In February, he won both cadet and junior Pan American gold medals.[1]
Dakar’s fencing programme has 84 athletes, equally divided between 42 girls and 42 boys, in six individual events across épée, foil and sabre. After the final, Radjenovic said he was tired and nervous but happy with silver for Serbia. He planned to study videos of his bouts and keep training for Los Angeles 2028.[1]
