Fencing at the 1912 Summer Olympics – Men's sabre

Fencing at the Olympics
Men's sabre
at the Games of the V Olympiad
Hungarian fencers Lajos Werkner, Oszkar Gerde, Jenö Fuchs, and Péter Tóth (1908)
VenueÖstermalm Athletic Grounds
DatesJuly 16–18
Competitors64 from 12 nations
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s) Jenő Fuchs  Hungary
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Béla Békessy  Hungary
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Ervin Mészáros  Hungary
← 1908
1920 →
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The men's sabre was a fencing event held as part of the Fencing at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the fifth appearance of the event.

The Hungarian fencers dominated the competition, with all 12 advancing to the semifinals. In 2 of the 4 semifinals, the Hungarians took the top three places. In a third, Hungarian fencers took the two qualifying spots while the third Hungarian did not start. In the remaining semifinal, Nedo Nadi of Italy placed second to become the only non-Hungarian fencer to advance to the final (the three Hungarians took first, third, and fourth in that semifinal).

The final consisted of 7 Hungarian fencers and Nadi. Nadi took fifth. Jenő Fuchs successfully defended his 1908 Olympic title, the first man to win multiple medals in the sabre. Béla Békessy took silver and Ervin Mészáros earned bronze.

Background

This was the fifth appearance of the event, which is the only fencing event to have been held at every Summer Olympics. Four of the eight finalists from 1908 returned: gold medalist Jenő Fuchs, silver medalist Béla Zulawszky, fifth-place finisher Péter Tóth, and sixth-place finisher Lajos Werkner, all of Hungary. Hungary was dominant in the sabre; Fuchs' 1908 victory started a run that lasted through 1964 in which the only Games that Hungary did not win the event was the one to which the nation was not invited (1920).[1]

Russia and Sweden each made their debut in the men's sabre. Austria made its fourth appearance in the event, most of any nation, having missed only the 1904 Games in St. Louis.

Competition format

The competition was held over four rounds. In each round, each pool held a round-robin. European sabre rules at the time used a larger target area than the post-World War I standard. In 1896, 1900, and 1908, the target area had been the whole body; the 1912 rules reduced that to "all body parts, located above the horizontal line passing through the crotch". (The 1904 competition used the American rules which became the standard now used.) Double hits were possible under the rules of the time.[1][2]

  • First round: 16 pools of between 3 and 5 fencers each. The top 3 fencers in each pool advanced to the quarterfinals.
  • Quarterfinals: 8 pools of 6 fencers each (before withdrawals). The top 3 fencers in each pool advanced to the semifinals.
  • Semifinals: 4 pools of 6 fencers each. The top 2 fencers in each pool advanced to the final.
  • Final: 1 pool of 8 fencers.

Schedule

Date Time Round
Tuesday, 16 July 1912 9:00
12:00
15:00		 Round 1 pools A–D
Round 1 pools E–H
Round 1 pools I–L
Wednesday, 17 July 1912 9:00
12:00
15:00		 Round 1 pools M–P
Quarterfinals pools A–D
Quarterfinals pools E–H
Thursday, 18 July 1912 9:00
14:00		 Semifinals
Final

Results

Round 1

Pool A

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Notes
1 Giovanni Benfratello  Italy 3 Q
2 Lajos Werkner  Hungary 2 Q
3 Vladimir Danich  Russian Empire 1 Q
4 Gustaf Armgarth  Sweden 0

Pool B

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Notes
1 Julius Lichtenfels  Germany 3 Q
Béla Zulavsky  Hungary 3 Q
3 Vladimir Andreyev  Russian Empire 2 Q
4 Friedrich Golling  Austria 2
5 Helge Werner  Sweden 0

Pool C

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Notes
1 Karl Münich  Austria 3 Q
2 Hans Thomson  Germany 2 Q
3 Jens Berthelsen  Denmark 1 Q
4 Boris Nepokupnoy  Russian Empire 0

Pool D

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Notes
1 Edoardo Alaimo  Italy 4 Q
2 Oluf Berntsen  Denmark 2 Q
Albert Bogen  Austria 2 Q
4 Zdeněk Bárta  Bohemia 1
Aleksandr Shkylev  Russian Empire 1

Pool E

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Notes
1 Charles Vanderbyl  Great Britain 3 Q
2 Josef Javůrek  Bohemia 3 Q
3 Josef Puhm  Austria 2 Q
4 Carl-Gustaf Klerck  Sweden 1
Georgy Zakyrich  Russian Empire 1

Pool F

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Notes
1 Einar Levison  Denmark 3 Q
2 Alfred Martin  Great Britain 2 Q
3 Anatoly Timofeyev  Russian Empire 1 Q
4 Johannes Kolling  Netherlands 0

Pool G

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Notes
1 Béla Békessy  Hungary 3 Q
2 Franz Dereani  Austria 1 Q
3 William Marsh  Great Britain 1 Q
4 Konstantin Vaterkampf  Russian Empire 1

Pool H

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Notes
1 Hendrik de Iongh  Netherlands 3 Q
Péter Tóth  Hungary 3 Q
3 Sven Nordenström  Sweden 2 Q
4 Douglas Godfree  Great Britain 1
Aleksandr Mordovin  Russian Empire 1

Pool I

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Notes
1 Nikolay Kuznetsov  Russian Empire — Q
Ervin Mészáros  Hungary — Q
Georg Stöhr  Germany — Q

Pool J

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Notes
1 Jenő Fuchs  Hungary — Q
Apollon Guiber von Greifenfels  Russian Empire — Q
Carl Personne  Sweden — Q

Poolol K

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Notes
1 Boris Arsenyev  Russian Empire — Q
Bertalan Dunay  Hungary — Q
Ernest zu Hohenlohe  Austria — Q

Pool L

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Notes
1 Zoltán Schenker  Hungary 3 Q
2 Friedrich Schwarz  Germany 2 Q
3 Harry Butterworth  Great Britain 1 Q
4 Pavel Filatov  Russian Empire 1

Pool M

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Notes
1 Francesco Pietrasanta  Italy 3 Q
2 Pál Pajzs  Hungary 1 Q
3 Alfred Syson  Great Britain 1 Q
4 Walter Gate  South Africa 1

Pool N

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Notes
1 Oszkár Gerde  Hungary 3 Q
2 Nedo Nadi  Italy 2 Q
3 Albertson van zo Post  United States 1 Q
4 Archibald Corble  Great Britain 0

Pool O

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Notes
1 Dezső Földes  Hungary — Q
Alfred Keene  Great Britain — Q
Alfred Sauer  United States — Q

Pool P

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Notes
1 László Berti  Hungary 3 Q
2 Aristide Pontanani  Italy 2 Q
3 Edward Brookfield  Great Britain 1 Q
4 Gunnar Lindholm  Sweden 0

Quarterfinals

Quarterfinal A

Rank Fencer Nation Losses Notes
1 László Berti  Hungary 0 Q
2 Bertalan Dunay  Hungary 1 Q
3 Vladimir Andreyev  Russian Empire 2 Q
4 Giovanni Benfratello  Italy 3
5 Einar Levison  Denmark 4
Georg Stöhr  Germany 4

Quarterfinal B

Rank Fencer Nation Losses Notes
1 Lajos Werkner  Hungary 0 Q
2 Oszkár Gerde  Hungary 1 Q
3 Anatoly Timofeyev  Russian Empire 2 Q
4 Harry Butterworth  Great Britain 3
Alfred Sauer  United States 3
— Albert Bogen  Austria DNS

Quarterfinal C

Rank Fencer Nation Losses Notes
1 Ervin Mészáros  Hungary 0 Q
2 Friedrich Schwarz  Germany 1 Q
3 William Marsh  Great Britain 2 Q
4 Ernest zu Hohenlohe  Austria 3
— Edoardo Alaimo  Italy DNS
Vladimir Danich  Russian Empire DNS

Quarterfinal D

Rank Fencer Nation Losses Notes
1 Béla Békessy  Hungary 1 Q
Dezső Földes  Hungary 1 Q
3 Oluf Berntsen  Denmark 2 Q
4 Nikolay Kuznetsov  Russian Empire 3
Aristide Pontenani  Italy 3
— Karl Münich  Austria DNS

Quarterfinal E

Rank Fencer Nation Losses Notes
1 Zoltán Schenker  Hungary 1 Q
2 Apollon Guiber von Greifenfels  Russian Empire 2 Q
Charles Vanderbyl  Great Britain 2 Q
4 Hans Thomson  Germany 2
5 Edward Brookfield  Great Britain 3
— Franz Dereani  Austria DNS

Quarterfinal F

Rank Fencer Nation Losses Notes
1 Jenő Fuchs  Hungary 0 Q
Alfred Syson  Great Britain 0 Q
3 Boris Arsenyev  Russian Empire 2 Q
4 Jens Berthelsen  Denmark 3
— Hendrik de Iongh  Netherlands DNS
Josef Javůrek  Bohemia DNS

Quarterfinal G

Rank Fencer Nation Losses Notes
1 Nedo Nadi  Italy 1 Q
Pál Pajzs  Hungary 1 Q
3 Béla Zulavsky  Hungary 2 Q
4 Alfred Keene  Great Britain 2
5 Sven Nordenström  Sweden 4
— Josef Puhm  Austria DNS

Quarterfinal H

Rank Fencer Nation Losses Notes
1 Péter Tóth  Hungary 0 Q
2 Julius Lichtenels  Germany 1 Q
Carl Personne  Sweden 1 Q
4 Francesco Pietrasanta  Italy 1
5 Alfred Martin  Great Britain 4
— Albertson van zo Post  United States DNS

Semifinals

Semifinal A

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Notes
1 Béla Békessy  Hungary 4 Q
2 Nedo Nadi  Italy 3 Q
3 Béla Zulavsky  Hungary 2
4 Bertalan Dunay  Hungary 1
5 Friedrich Schwarz  Germany 0
— Anatoly Timofeyev  Russian Empire DNS

Semifinal B

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Notes
1 Péter Tóth  Hungary 2 Q
2 Jenő Fuchs  Hungary 1 Q
3 Alfred Syson  Great Britain 0
— Vladimir Andreyev  Russian Empire DNS
Oszkár Gerde  Hungary DNS
Julius Lichtenfels  Germany DNS

Semifinal C

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Notes
1 Ervin Mészáros  Hungary 5 Q
2 Dezső Földes  Hungary 4 Q
3 Pál Pajzs  Hungary 3
4 Charles Vanderbyl  Great Britain 2
5 Boris Arsenyev  Russian Empire 1
6 Carl Personne  Sweden 0

Semifinal D

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Notes
1 Lajos Werkner  Hungary 5 Q
2 Zoltán Schenker  Hungary 4 Q
3 László Berti  Hungary 3
4 Apollon Guiber von Greifenfels  Russian Empire 2
5 William Marsh  Great Britain 1
6 Oluf Berntsen  Denmark 0

Final

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Losses TF TA
1st place, gold medalist(s) Jenő Fuchs  Hungary 6 1 18 10
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Béla Békessy  Hungary 5 2 17 11
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Ervin Mészáros  Hungary 5 2 17 12
4 Zoltán Schenker  Hungary 4 3 17 13
5 Nedo Nadi  Italy 4 3 16 17
6 Péter Tóth  Hungary 2 5 12 17
7 Lajos Werkner  Hungary 1 6 13 19
8 Dezső Földes  Hungary 1 6 9 20

References

  1. ^ a b "Sabre, Individual, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  2. ^ Official Report, p. 1024.
  • Bergvall, Erik (ed.) (1913). Adams-Ray, Edward (trans.). (ed.). The Official Report of the Olympic Games of Stockholm 1912. Stockholm: Wahlström & Widstrand. {{cite book}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  • Wudarski, Pawel (1999). "Wyniki Igrzysk Olimpijskich" (in Polish). Archived from the original on 16 February 2009. Retrieved 15 January 2007.
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Olympic Fencing Champions in Men's Individual Sabre