Fencing at the 1920 Summer Olympics – Men's épée

Olympic fencing event
Men's épée
at the Games of the VII Olympiad
French épéeists: silver medalist Alexandre Lippmann, bronze medalist Gustave Buchard, and gold medalist Armand Massard
VenueGardens de la Palace d'Egmont
DatesAugust 20–23
Competitors80 from 13 nations
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s) Armand Massard
 France
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Alexandre Lippmann
 France
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Gustave Buchard
 France
← 1912
1924 →
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The men's épée was a fencing event held as part of the fencing at the 1920 Summer Olympics programme. It was the fifth appearance of the event. A total of 80 fencers from 13 nations competed in the event, which was held from August 20 to 23, 1920. Each nation was limited to eight fencers, down from 12 in 1908 and 1912.[1] Of the six fencing events, the only one in which Nedo Nadi did not win a gold medal was the one in which he did not compete. Instead, a trio of Frenchmen (Armand Massard, Alexandre Lippmann, and Gustave Buchard) swept the medals. It was Lippmann's second silver medal in the event, he having previously taken second in 1908; he was the second man to win multiple medals in the individual épée.

Background

This was the fifth appearance of the event, which was not held at the first Games in 1896 (with only foil and sabre events held) but has been held at every Summer Olympics since 1900.[1]

Four of the eight finalists from the 1912 Games returned: silver medalist Ivan Joseph Martin Osiier of Denmark (who competed in seven Games from 1908 to 1948), fourth-place finisher Victor Boin of Belgium, seventh-place finisher Léon Tom of Belgium, and eighth-place finisher Martin Holt of Great Britain. The French and Italian teams, both of whom boycotted the 1912 Games over separate rules disputes, returned, including 1908 silver medalist Alexandre Lippmann.

Czechoslovakia and Egypt each made their debut in the event. Belgium, Great Britain, and the United States each appeared for the fourth time, tied for most among nations.

Competition format

The competition was held over four rounds. In each round, each pool held a round-robin, with bouts to 1 touch. Double-touches counted as touches against both fencers. Rather than hold separate barrages to separate fencers tied in the advancement spot (as had been done in 1908), the head-to-head results of bouts already fenced were used (as in 1912). The size of the pools was increased; where previously the maximum size of a pool was 8, now the final and semifinals consisted of 12 fencers each with the quarterfinals and first round pools also larger.[1]

  • First round: 9 pools of between 8 and 10 fencers each. The 5 fencers in each pool with the fewest touches against advanced to the quarterfinals.
  • Second round: 4 pools of 11 or 12 fencers each. The 6 fencers in each pool with the fewest touches against advanced to the semifinals.
  • Semifinals: 2 pools of 12 fencers each. The 6 fencers in each pool with the fewest touches against advanced to the final.
  • Final: 1 pool of 12 fencers.

Schedule

Date Time Round
Friday, 20 August 1920 9:00 Round 1
Sunday, 22 August 1920 9:00 Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Monday, 23 August 1920 9:30 Final

Results

First round

Pool A

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Losses Notes
1 Félix Goblet  Belgium 8 1 Q
2 João Sassetti  Portugal 6 3 Q
3 Roger Ducret  France 5 4 Q
Gustaf Lindblom  Sweden 5 4 Q
5 S. Antonidas  Greece 4 5 Q
6 John Blake  Great Britain 4 5
7 Willem Hubert  Netherlands 3 6
Ivan Osiier  Denmark 3 6
Paolo Thaon  Italy 3 6
10 Jan Černohorský  Czechoslovakia 1 8

Pool B

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Losses Notes
1 Jan Van der Wiel  Netherlands 5 2 Q
2 António de Menezes  Portugal 4 3 Q
Evangelos Skotidas  Greece 4 3 Q
Maurice de Wée  Belgium 4 3 Q
5 Roland Willoughby  Great Britain 3 4 Q
6 Kay Schrøder  Denmark 3 4
7 Frédéric Fitting  Switzerland 2 5
Bertil Uggla  Sweden 2 5

Pool C

Olivier advanced to the final after Otto Baerentzen (5th in Pool I) withdrew.

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Losses Notes
1 Fernando Correia  Portugal 5 2 Q
Georges Trombert  France 5 2 Q
3 Victor Boin  Belgium 4 2 Q
Einar Levison  Denmark 4 2 Q
5 Wouter Brouwer  Netherlands 3 3 Q
6 Abelardo Olivier  Italy 3 3 q
7 John Dimond  United States 2 4
Hans Törnblom  Sweden 2 4

Pool D

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Losses Notes
1 Frédéric Dubourdieu  France 7 2 Q
2 Poul Rasmussen  Denmark 6 3 Q
3 Edouard Fitting  Switzerland 5 4 Q
4 Ernest Gevers  Belgium 4 5 Q
5 Carl Gripenstedt  Sweden 4 5 Q
6 Frederico Paredes  Portugal 4 5
7 Louis Delaunoij  Netherlands 3 6
Raymond Dutcher  United States 3 6
Robert Montgomerie  Great Britain 3 6
10 Josef Javůrek  Czechoslovakia 2 7

Pool E

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Losses Notes
1 Nils Hellsten  Sweden 6 2 Q
2 Ruimondo Mayer  Portugal 5 3 Q
3 Joseph de Craecker  Belgium 4 4 Q
Otakar Švorčík  Czechoslovakia 4 4 Q
Alexandre Lippmann  France 4 4 Q
6 Eugène Empeyta  Switzerland 3 5
7 Martin Holt  Great Britain 3 5
8 Georg Hegner  Denmark 1 7
Vasilios Zarkadis  Greece 1 7

Pool F

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Losses Notes
1 Gustave Buchard  France 6 1 Q
2 Tullio Bozza  Italy 5 2 Q
3 Henri Wijnoldij-Daniëls  Netherlands 4 3 Q
4 Aage Berntsen  Denmark 3 4 Q
William Russell  United States 3 4 Q
6 Knut Enell  Sweden 2 5
7 Léon Tom  Belgium 2 5
8 George Burt  Great Britain 1 6

Pool G

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Losses Notes
1 Henry Breckinridge  United States 6 2 Q
Charles Delporte  Belgium 6 2 Q
Louis Moureau  France 6 2 Q
4 Jorge de Paiva  Portugal 5 3 Q
5 Josef Jungmann  Czechoslovakia 4 4 Q
6 Aldo Boni  Italy 3 5
7 Salomon Zeldenrust  Netherlands 3 5
8 Charles Notley  Great Britain 2 6
9 Einar Råberg  Sweden 0 8

Pool H

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Losses Notes
1 Fernand de Montigny  Belgium 7 1 Q
2 Georges Casanova  France 6 2 Q
Adrianus de Jong  Netherlands 6 2 Q
4 Henrique da Silveira  Portugal 5 3 Q
5 Giovanni Canova  Italy 3 5 Q
6 David Warholm  Sweden 3 5
7 Ronald Bruce Campbell  Great Britain 3 5
8 Henri Jacquet  Switzerland 2 6
9 Viliam Tvrský  Czechoslovakia 1 7

Pool I

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Losses Notes
1 Armand Massard  France 6 2 Q
2 Ahmed Hassanein  Egypt 5 3 Q
Dino Urbani  Italy 5 3 Q
4 Robin Dalglish  Great Britain 4 4 Q
5 Otto Baerentzen  Denmark 4 4 Q, withdrew
6 Louis de Tribolet  Switzerland 3 5
7 Manuel Queiróz  Portugal 3 5
8 Félix Vigeveno  Netherlands 2 6
9 Leonard Schoonmaker  United States 0 8

Quarterfinals

Quarterfinal A

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Losses Notes
1 Georges Trombert  France 8 2 Q
2 Gustaf Lindblom  Sweden 7 3 Q
Jorge de Paiva  Portugal 7 3 Q
4 Adrianus de Jong  Netherlands 6 4 Q
Louis Moureau  France 6 4 Q
6 Charles Delporte  Belgium 5 5 Q
7 Tullio Bozza  Italy 5 5
Joseph de Craecker  Belgium 5 5
9 Poul Rasmussen  Denmark 4 6
10 Roland Willoughby  Great Britain 2 8
11 Otakar Švorčík  Czechoslovakia 1 9

Quarterfinal B

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Losses Notes
1 Abelardo Olivier  Italy 7 3 Q
2 Fernando Correia  Portugal 6 4 Q
Frédéric Dubourdieu  France 6 4 Q
Armand Massard  France 6 4 Q
5 Henry Breckenridge  United States 5 3 Q
Félix Goblet  Belgium 5 3 Q
7 Ahmed Hassanein  Egypt 4 6
Ruimondo Mayer  Portugal 4 6
Henri Wijnoldij-Daniëls  Netherlands 4 6
10 Carl Gripenstedt  Sweden 3 7
11 Josef Jungmann  Czechoslovakia 1 9

Quarterfinal C

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Losses Notes
1 João Sassetti  Portugal 8 3 Q
2 António de Menezes  Portugal 7 4 Q
3 Gustave Buchard  France 6 5 Q
Ernest Gevers  Belgium 6 5 Q
William Russell  United States 6 5 Q
Maurice de Wée  Belgium 6 5 Q
7 Giovanni Canova  Italy 5 6
Roger Ducret  France 5 6
Evangelos Skotidas  Greece 5 6
10 Aage Berntsen  Denmark 4 7
11 S. Antonidas  Greece 3 8
12 Jan Van der Wiel  Netherlands 1 10

Quarterfinal D

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Losses Notes
1 Nils Hellsten  Sweden 8 2 Q
2 Alexandre Lippmann  France 7 3 Q
3 Georges Casanova  France 6 4 Q
Einar Levison  Denmark 6 4 Q
Fernand de Montigny  Belgium 6 4 Q
Dino Urbani  Italy 6 4 Q
7 Henrique da Silveira  Portugal 4 6
8 Victor Boin  Belgium 3 7
Wouter Brouwer  Netherlands 3 7
Edouard Fitting  Switzerland 3 7
11 Robin Dalglish  Great Britain 1 9

Semifinals

Semifinal A

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Losses Notes
1 Georges Casanova  France 9 2 Q
2 António de Menezes  Portugal 7 4 Q
3 Gustaf Lindblom  Sweden 6 5 Q
Armand Massard  France 6 5 Q
5 Charles Delporte  Belgium 4 7 Q
Alexandre Lippmann  France 4 7 Q
7 Frédéric Dubourdieu  France 4 7
Fernand de Montigny  Belgium 4 7
Dino Urbani  Italy 4 7
10 Fernando Correia  Portugal 2 9
William Russell  United States 2 9
12 Einar Levison  Denmark 0 11

Semifinal B

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Losses Notes
1 Ernest Gevers  Belgium 7 4 Q
2 Gustave Buchard  France 6 5 Q
Félix Goblet  Belgium 6 5 Q
Louis Moureau  France 6 5 Q
Abelardo Olivier  Italy 6 5 Q
Jorge de Paiva  Portugal 6 5 Q
7 Georges Trombert  France 6 5
8 Nils Hellsten  Sweden 4 7
Adrianus de Jong  Netherlands 4 7
10 Henry Breckenridge  United States 3 8
Maurice de Wée  Belgium 3 8
12 João Sassetti  Portugal 2 9

Final

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Losses
1st place, gold medalist(s) Armand Massard  France 9 2
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Alexandre Lippmann  France 7 4
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Gustave Buchard  France 6 5
4 Ernest Gevers  Belgium 6 5
5 Georges Casanova  France 5 6
6 António de Menezes  Portugal 5 6
Louis Moureau  France 5 6
Abelardo Olivier  Italy 5 6
9 Gustaf Lindblom  Sweden 4 7
10 Charles Delporte  Belgium 3 8
Félix Goblet  Belgium 3 8
12 Jorge de Paiva  Portugal 2 9

Results summary

Rank Fencer Nation Round 1 Quarterfinals Semifinals Final Total
W L Rank W L Rank W L Rank W L W L
1st place, gold medalist(s) Armand Massard  France 6 2 1st 6 4 2nd 6 5 3rd 9 2 27 13
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Alexandre Lippmann  France 4 4 3rd 7 3 2nd 4 7 5th 7 4 22 18
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Gustave Buchard  France 6 1 1st 6 5 3rd 6 5 2nd 6 5 24 16
4 Ernest Gevers  Belgium 4 5 4th 6 5 3rd 7 4 1st 6 5 23 19
5 Georges Casanova  France 6 2 2nd 6 4 3rd 9 2 1st 5 6 26 14
6 António de Menezes  Portugal 4 3 2nd 7 4 2nd 7 4 2nd 5 6 23 17
Louis Moureau  France 6 2 1st 6 4 4th 6 5 2nd 5 6 23 17
Abelardo Olivier  Italy 3 3 6th 7 3 1st 6 5 2nd 5 6 21 17
9 Gustaf Lindblom  Sweden 5 4 3rd 7 3 2nd 6 5 3rd 4 7 22 19
10 Charles Delporte  Belgium 6 2 1st 5 5 6th 4 7 5th 3 8 18 22
Félix Goblet  Belgium 8 1 1st 5 3 5th 6 5 2nd 3 8 22 17
12 Jorge de Paiva  Portugal 5 3 4th 7 3 2nd 6 5 2nd 2 9 20 20
13 Frédéric Dubourdieu  France 7 2 1st 6 4 2nd 4 7 7th Did not advance 17 13
Fernand de Montigny  Belgium 7 1 1st 6 4 3rd 4 7 7th 17 12
Georges Trombert  France 5 2 1st 8 2 1st 6 5 7th 19 9
Dino Urbani  Italy 5 3 2nd 6 4 3rd 4 7 7th 15 14
17 Nils Hellsten  Sweden 6 2 1st 8 2 1st 4 7 8th 18 11
Adrianus de Jong  Netherlands 6 2 2nd 6 4 4th 4 7 8th 16 13
19 Henry Breckenridge  United States 6 2 1st 5 3 5th 3 8 10th 14 13
Fernando Correia  Portugal 5 2 1st 6 4 2nd 2 9 10th 13 15
Maurice de Wée  Belgium 4 3 2nd 6 5 3rd 3 8 10th 13 16
William Russell  United States 3 4 4th 6 5 3rd 2 9 10th 11 18
23 Einar Levison  Denmark 4 2 3rd 6 4 3rd 0 11 12th 10 17
João Sassetti  Portugal 6 3 2nd 8 3 1st 2 9 12th 16 15
25 Tullio Bozza  Italy 5 2 2nd 5 5 7th Did not advance 10 7
Giovanni Canova  Italy 3 5 5th 5 6 7th 8 11
Joseph de Craecker  Belgium 4 4 3rd 5 5 7th 9 9
Roger Ducret  France 5 4 3rd 5 6 7th 10 10
Ahmed Hassanein  Egypt 5 3 2nd 4 6 7th 9 9
Ruimondo Mayer  Portugal 5 3 2nd 4 6 7th 9 9
Henrique da Silveira  Portugal 5 3 4th 4 6 7th 9 9
Evangelos Skotidas  Greece 4 3 2nd 5 6 7th 9 9
Henri Wijnoldij-Daniëls  Netherlands 4 3 3rd 4 6 7th 8 9
34 Victor Boin  Belgium 4 2 3rd 3 7 8th 7 9
Wouter Brouwer  Netherlands 3 3 5th 3 7 8th 6 10
Edouard Fitting  Switzerland 5 4 3rd 3 7 8th 8 11
37 Poul Rasmussen  Denmark 6 3 2nd 4 6 9th 10 9
38 Aage Berntsen  Denmark 3 4 4th 4 7 10th 7 11
Carl Gripenstedt  Sweden 4 5 5th 3 7 10th 7 12
Roland Willoughby  Great Britain 3 4 5th 2 8 10th 5 12
41 S. Antonidas  Greece 4 5 5th 3 8 11th 7 13
Robin Dalglish  Great Britain 4 4 4th 1 9 11th 5 13
Josef Jungmann  Czechoslovakia 4 4 5th 1 9 11th 5 13
Otakar Švorčík  Czechoslovakia 4 4 4th 1 9 11th 5 13
45 Jan Van der Wiel  Netherlands 5 2 1st 1 10 12th 6 12
46 Otto Baerentzen  Denmark 4 4 5th DNS 4 4
47 John Blake  Great Britain 4 5 6th Did not advance 4 5
Aldo Boni  Italy 3 5 6th 3 5
Eugène Empeyta  Switzerland 3 5 6th 3 5
Knut Enell  Sweden 2 5 6th 2 5
Frederico Paredes  Portugal 4 5 6th 4 5
Kay Schrøder  Denmark 3 4 6th 3 4
Louis de Tribolet  Switzerland 3 5 6th 3 5
David Warholm  Sweden 3 5 6th 3 5
55 Ronald Bruce Campbell  Great Britain 3 5 7th 3 5
Louis Delaunoij  Netherlands 3 6 7th 3 6
John Dimond  United States 2 4 7th 2 4
Raymond Dutcher  United States 3 6 7th 3 6
Frédéric Fitting  Switzerland 2 5 7th 2 5
Martin Holt  Great Britain 3 5 7th 3 5
Willem Hubert  Netherlands 3 6 7th 3 6
Robert Montgomerie  Great Britain 3 6 7th 3 6
Ivan Osiier  Denmark 3 6 7th 3 6
Manuel Queiróz  Portugal 3 5 7th 3 5
Paolo Thaon  Italy 3 6 7th 3 6
Léon Tom  Belgium 2 5 7th 2 5
Hans Törnblom  Sweden 2 4 7th 2 4
Bertil Uggla  Sweden 2 5 7th 2 5
Salomon Zeldenrust  Netherlands 3 5 7th 3 5
70 George Burt  Great Britain 1 6 8th 1 6
Georg Hegner  Denmark 1 7 8th 1 7
Henri Jacquet  Switzerland 2 6 8th 2 6
Charles Notley  Great Britain 2 6 8th 2 6
Félix Vigeveno  Netherlands 2 6 8th 2 6
Vasilios Zarkadis  Greece 1 7 8th 1 7
76 Einar Råberg  Sweden 0 8 9th 0 8
Leonard Schoonmaker  United States 0 8 9th 0 8
Viliam Tvrský  Czechoslovakia 1 7 9th 1 7
79 Jan Černohorský  Czechoslovakia 1 8 10th 1 8
Josef Javůrek  Czechoslovakia 2 7 10th 2 7

References

  1. ^ a b c "Épée, Individual, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  • Belgium Olympic Committee (1957). Olympic Games Antwerp 1920: Official Report (in French).
  • Wudarski, Pawel (1999). "Wyniki Igrzysk Olimpijskich" (in Polish). Archived from the original on 16 February 2009. Retrieved 28 August 2007.
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Olympic Fencing Champions in Men's Individual Épée