Shan strikes fencing gold as Canada wins three medals at Youth Olympics

Canadian Simon Shan, centre, stands with Serbia's Vukan Radjenovic, left, and Belgium's Wout Van Laecke after winning gold in men's épée fencing at the Youth Olympic Games in Diamniadio, Senegal, on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. Radjenovic won silver and Van Laecke bronze. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout-OIS/IOC-Hassan Wamwayi (Mandatory Credit)

DAKAR — Simon Shan struck gold in fencing as Canada added three medals Wednesday at the Youth Olympic Games.

The West Vancouver, B.C., native rallied from a 7-5 deficit to defeat Serbia’s Vukan Radjenovic 15-9 in the men’s épée final and claim Canada’s first gold of the Games.

“I don’t think I’ve fully processed it yet,” Shan said. “I’m just very grateful to be able to come here, represent Canada and win.”

Shan, 16, entered the competition having won silver at the 2026 world cadet championships and bronze at the 2025 event.

He found his rhythm midway through Wednesday’s final at the Dakar Expo Centre.

“I was down 7-5 in the middle of the bout, but once I got one of the actions that I wanted, the rest kind of flowed in, and I felt very confident,” he said.

Shan said he has learned to keep his emotions in check on the fencing strip.

“Before, I was a little bit more crazy, but now, as I’ve grown up, I’ve calmed down more and matured.”

Radjenovic, who lives in Canada and trains at Big Bear Fencing Club in Mississauga, Ont., took pride in his second-place finish.

“They say silver is a loss. I think it was an overall win,” he said. “I think I have to stay humble a little bit and I’ve got to train for the LA (Los Angeles) 2028 Olympics.”

Shan’s gold was Canada’s first in fencing at the Youth Olympics. Alexandre Lyssov of Richmond Hill, Ont., previously won bronze in men’s épée at the inaugural Games in Singapore in 2010. Eleanor Harvey claimed Canada’s first fencing medal at the senior Olympics with bronze in women’s foil at Paris in 2024.

In boxing, 17-year-old Mehreen Khakh of Kitchener, Ont., earned bronze in the women’s 51-kilogram division after a 5-0 semifinal loss to Azerbaijan’s Gular Huseynova on Wednesday.

“Sometimes there’s no excuses. Sometimes you just get out-boxed because the other (fighter) boxes better than you. But again, I’ll be back stronger,” said Khakh, who is targeting the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane, Australia.

Lisandro Garcia Rebelo, 17, of Mississauga, also took bronze in the men’s 55-kilogram division after withdrawing from his semifinal through injury.

Canada now has five medals in Dakar after 17-year-old Anes Mati of Anjou, Que., won silver in judo and 14-year-old Evie Pritchard of Nanaimo, B.C., earned bronze in skateboarding during the first week of competition.

Canada sent 28 athletes to the Games, the first Olympic event held in Africa, which conclude Friday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 11, 2026.

The Canadian Press