Fencing at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Men's épée

The épée event for amateurs was one of three épée events at the 1900 Summer Olympics. 102 fencers from 11 nations competed, with 91 of them from France.[1] The event was won by Ramón Fonst of Cuba, the first of his two golds in individual épée. Silver and bronze both went to host nation fencers, Louis Perrée and Léon Sée. These badly organized games — derisively called “The Farcical Games” — were so poorly publicized that years later, even the competitors were clueless that they had competed in the Olympics in 1900.[2] No official records for the games exist.[2] These accomplishments are not even mentioned in the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica.[3] This was the first appearance of the event, as only foil and sabre events had been held at the first Games in 1896; the Men's épée event has been held at every Summer Olympics since 1900.[1]

Men's épée
at the Games of the II Olympiad
Gold medalist Ramón Fonst
VenueTuileries Garden
Dates1–14 June
Competitors102 from 11 nations
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s) Ramón Fonst
 Cuba
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Louis Perrée
 France
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Léon Sée
 France
1904 →

Competition format

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The event used a four-round format: round 1, quarterfinals, semifinals, and a final. Each round consisted of pool play. For round 1, the fencers were divided into 17 pools of 6 or 7 fencers each; the top two fencers in each pool advanced to the quarterfinals. The quarterfinals were intended to divide the 34 fencers into 6 pools of 5 or 6 fencers each; after 3 men withdrew, the round consisted of 5 pools of 6 fencers plus a special pool of the last remaining fencer plus 4 of the losers from the first 5 pools. The top 3 fencers in each pool advanced to the semifinals. The semifinals had the 18 men compete in 3 pools of 6, with the top 3 in each pool advancing to a 9-man final.

The actual competition format within pools is not entirely clear. Only results from the final are known. In the final, each fencer had 5 or 6 bouts (rather than 8, which would be the number if a full round-robin were held). The top places were determined by number of wins, with a barrage held when two fencers finished with 4 wins (though one had only 1 loss while the other had 2).[1]

Schedule

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Date Time Round
Friday, 1 June 1900 Round 1 pools A–D
2–5 June 1900 Round 1 pools E–L
Wednesday, 6 June 1900 Round 1 pools M–Q
7–9 June 1900 9:00 Quarterfinals
Sunday, 10 June 1900 Semifinals
Wednesday, 13 June 1900 Final
Thursday, 14 June 1900 Final, continued

Results

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Round 1

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The first round of the event consisted of pool play round-robin tournaments. Each fencer faced each other fencer once. Of the 17 pools, 15 had six fencers each and 2 had seven. The top two placers in each advanced to the quarterfinals.

Pool A

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Rank Fencer Nation Notes
1 Joseph-Marie Rosé   France Q
2 Élie, Count de Lastours   France Q
3–6 H. Georges Berger   France
Luquetas   France
Mosso   France
André Tintant   France /[4][2]

Pool B

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Rank Fencer Nation Notes
1 Jules de Pradel   France Q
2 Jean Dreyfus   France Q
3–6 Jacques de la Chevalerie   France
Gardiès   France
Hérrison   France
Ivan Ivanovitch   France

Pool C

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Rank Fencer Nation Notes
1 Jules Roffe   France Q
2 Édouard Fouchier   France Q
3–6 Pierre Georges Louis d'Hugues   France
Moreil   France
Max Rodrigues   France
Véve   France

Pool D

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Rank Fencer Nation Notes
1 Ramón Fonst   Cuba Q
2 Edmond Wallace   France Q
3 Willy Sulzbacher   France[5]
4–6 Bazin   France
Maurice Fleury   France
Pierre Thomegeux   France

Pool E

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Rank Fencer Nation Notes
1 Gaston Alibert   France Q
2 Georges de la Falaise   France Q
3–6 Olivier Collarini   Italy
Grad   France
Massé   France
Achille Morin   France

Pool F

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Rank Fencer Nation Notes
1 Jean-Joseph Renaud   France Q
2 Maurice Boisdon   France Q
3–6 Laurent de Champeaux   France
Charles Loizillon   France
Salvanahac   France
de Segonzac   France

Pool G

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Rank Fencer Nation Notes
1 Henri Plommet   France Q
2 Léon Thiébaut   France Q
3 Lariviére   France
4–6 Adam   France
Robert Marc   France
Jean Taillefer   France

Pool H

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Rank Fencer Nation Notes
1 André-Marie Rabel   France Q
2 Josiah Bowden   Great Britain Q
3–6 de Lastic   France
Georges Leroy   France
Miller   France
Ivan, Viscount d'Oyley   United States[6]

Pool I

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Rank Fencer Nation Notes
1 Richard Wallace   France Q
2 Freydoun Malkom   Iran Q
3–6 Marie Joseph Anatole Elie   France
de Laugardière   France
Georges Redeuil   France
Joseph Sénat   France

Pool J

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Rank Fencer Nation Notes
1 Marcel Lévy   France Q
2 Maurice Jay   France Q
3–6 Henri de Laborde   France
Adjutant Lemoine   France
Charles Robinson   Great Britain
André de Romilly   France

Pool K

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Rank Fencer Nation Notes
1 Giuseppe Giurato   Italy Q
2 Raoul Bideau   France Q
3–6 Clément de Boissière   France
Albert Cahen   France
Fernandès   France
de la Tournable   France

Pool L

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Rank Fencer Nation Notes
1 Alexandre Guillemand   France Q
2 Jacques Holzschuch   France Q
3 Ducreuil   France
4–6 Andreac   France
Costiesco   France
Paul Robert   Switzerland

Pool M

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Rank Fencer Nation Notes
1 Léon Sée   France Q
2 Eduardo Camet   Argentina Q
3–6 Carlos de Candamo   Peru
Mauricio, 4th Duke of Gor   Spain
de Meuse   France
Joseph Rodrigues   France

Pool N

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Rank Fencer Nation Notes
1 Henri Hébrard de Villeneuve   France Q
2 Alphonse Moquet   France Q
3–7 de Cazenove   France
René Jules Thion de la Chaume   France
de Pradines   France
Prosper   France
Pierre Rosenbaum   France

Pool O

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Rank Fencer Nation Notes
1 Louis Perrée   France Q
2 Henri-Georges Berger   France Q
3–6 Louis Bastien   France
Stan François   France
Peberay   France
Preurot   France

Pool P

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Rank Fencer Nation Notes
1 Tony Smet   Belgium Q
2 Henri Jean Début   France Q
3–7 Gaston Achille   France
Duclos   France
Giunio Fedreghini   Italy
Fichot   France
Weber   France

Pool Q

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Rank Fencer Nation Notes
1 Adrien Guyon   France Q
2 Jean-André Hilleret   France Q
3–6 Delprat   France
Lafontaine   France
Adolphe Thomegeux   France
de Vars   France

Quarterfinals

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The quarterfinals were again round-robin affairs. The original schedule was that there would be six pools: two would have five fencers each and four would have six fencers, with the top three in each pool to advance.

After three of the original quarterfinalists (Maurice Jay, André Rabel, and Jean-Joseph Renaud) withdrew after the draw, the quarterfinals were redrawn: there were five pools with six fencers each, while the sixth pool included Holzchuch and four fencers who had lost in other quarterfinals and were given a second chance to advance.

Quarterfinal A

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Rank Fencer Nation Notes
1 Jean Dreyfuss   France Q
2 Henri Plommet   France Q
3 Marcel Lévy   France Q
4–6 Jean-André Hilleret   France
Alphonse Moquet   France
Jules Roffe   France

Quarterfinal B

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Rank Fencer Nation Notes
1 Richard Wallace   France Q
2 Élie, Count de Lastours   France Q
3 Georges de la Falaise   France Q
4–6 Josiah Bowden   Great Britain
Alexandre Guillemand   France
Léon Thiébaut   France

Quarterfinal C

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Rank Fencer Nation Notes
1 Edmond Wallace   France Q
2 Eduardo Camet   Argentina Q
3 Jules de Pradel   France Q
4–6 Raoul Bideau   France
Tony Smet   Belgium
Henri Hébrard de Villeneuve   France

Quarterfinal D

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Rank Fencer Nation Notes
1 Gaston Alibert   France Q
2 Léon Sée   France Q
3 Ramón Fonst   Cuba Q
4–6 Henri-Georges Berger   France
Giuseppe Giurato   Italy
Freydoun Malkom   Iran

Quarterfinal E

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Rank Fencer Nation Notes
1 Maurice Boisdon   France Q
2 Louis Perrée   France Q
3 Joseph-Marie Rosé   France Q
4–6 Henri Jean Début   France
Édouard Fouchier   France
Adrien Guyon   France

Quarterfinal F

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Rank Fencer Nation Notes
1 Jacques Holzschuch   France Q
2 Léon Thiébaut   France Q
3 Alexandre Guillemand   France Q
4–5 Unknown[7]

Semifinals

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The semifinals, with 18 fencers left, were conducted in three pools of round-robin play. Each pool had six fencers, with the top three advancing to the final.

Semifinal A

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Rank Fencer Nation Notes
1 Gaston Alibert   France Q
2 Henri Plommet   France Q
3 Léon Sée   France Q
4–6 Élie, Count de Lastours   France
Jacques Holzschuch   France
Joseph-Marie Rosé   France

Semifinal B

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Rank Fencer Nation Notes
1 Georges de la Falaise   France Q
2 Louis Perrée   France Q
3 Eduardo Camet   Argentina Q
4–6 Maurice Boisdon   France
Jean Dreyfuss   France
Jules de Pradel   France

Semifinal C

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Rank Fencer Nation Notes
1 Léon Thiébaut   France Q
2 Edmond Wallace   France Q
3 Ramón Fonst   Cuba Q
4–6 Alexandre Guillemand   France
Marcel Lévy   France
Richard Wallace   France

Final

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In the final, each fencer had either 5 or 6 bouts. Fonst and Perrée initially tied for first with 4 wins each, then Fonst won the barrage to break the tie.

Rank Fencer Nation Wins Losses
  Ramón Fonst   Cuba 4 2
  Louis Perrée   France 4 1
  Léon Sée   France 3 2
4 Georges de la Falaise   France 3 3
5 Eduardo Camet   Argentina 2 3
6 Edmond Wallace   France 2 4
7 Gaston Alibert   France 2 3
8 Léon Thiébaut   France 2 4
9 Henri Plommet   France 0 6

Results summary

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Rank Fencer Nation Round 1
Rank
Quarterfinals
Rank
Semifinals
Rank
Final
Wins
Final
Losses
  Ramón Fonst   Cuba 1st 3rd 3rd 4 2
  Louis Perrée   France 1st 2nd 2nd 4 1
  Léon Sée   France 1st 2nd 3rd 3 2
4 Georges de la Falaise   France 2nd 3rd 1st 3 3
5 Eduardo Camet   Argentina 2nd 2nd 3rd 2 3
6 Edmond Wallace   France 2nd 1st 2nd 2 4
7 Gaston Alibert   France 1st 1st 1st 2 3
8 Léon Thiébaut   France 2nd 2nd 1st 2 4
9 Henri Plommet   France 1st 2nd 2nd 0 6
10–18 Maurice Boisdon   France 2nd 1st 4th–6th Did not advance
Jean Dreyfuss   France 2nd 1st 4th–6th
Alexandre Guillemand   France 1st 3rd 4th–6th
Jacques Holzschuch   France 2nd 1st 4th–6th
Élie, Count de Lastours   France 2nd 2nd 4th–6th
Marcel Lévy   France 1st 3rd 4th–6th
Jules de Pradel   France 1st 3rd 4th–6th
Joseph-Marie Rosé   France 1st 3rd 4th–6th
Richard Wallace   France 1st 1st 4th–6th
19–31 Henri-Georges Berger   France 2nd 4th–6th Did not advance
Raoul Bideau   France 2nd 4th–6th
Josiah Bowden   Great Britain 2nd 4th–6th
Henri Jean Début   France 2nd 4th–6th
Édouard Fouchier   France 2nd 4th–6th
Giuseppe Giurato   Italy 1st 4th–6th
Adrien Guyon   France 1st 4th–6th
Jean-André Hilleret   France 2nd 4th–6th
Freydoun Malkom   Iran 2nd 4th–6th
Alphonse Moquet   France 2nd 4th–6th
Jules Roffe   France 1st 4th–6th
Tony Smet   Belgium 1st 4th–6th
Henri Hébrard de Villeneuve   France 1st 4th–6th
32 Maurice Jay   France 2nd DNS
André Rabel   France 1st DNS
Jean-Joseph Renaud   France 1st DNS
35–104 Gaston Achille   France 3rd–7th Did not advance
Adam   France 4th–6th
Andreac   France 4th–6th
Louis Bastien   France 3rd–6th
Bazin   France 4th–6th
H. Georges Berger   France 3rd–6th
Clément de Boissière   France 3rd–6th
Albert Cahen   France 3rd–6th
Carlos de Candamo   Peru 3rd–6th
de Cazenove   France 3rd–7th
Laurent de Champeaux   France 3rd–6th
René Jules Thion de la Chaume   France 3rd–7th
Jacques de la Chevalerie   France 3rd–6th
Olivier Collarini   Italy 3rd–6th
Costiesco   France 4th–6th
Delprat   France 3rd–6th
Duclos   France 3rd–7th
Ducreuil   France 3rd
Marie Joseph Anatole Elie   France 3rd–6th
Giunio Fedreghini   Italy 3rd–7th
Fernandès   France 3rd–6th
Fichot   France 3rd–7th
Maurice Fleury   France 4th–6th
Stan François   France 3rd–6th
Gardiès   France 3rd–6th
Grad   France 3rd–6th
Hérrison   France 3rd–6th
Pierre Georges Louis d'Hugues   France 3rd–6th
Ivan Ivanovitch   France 3rd–6th
Henri de Laborde   France 3rd–6th
Lafontaine   France 3rd–6th
Lariviére   France 3rd
de Lastic   France 3rd–6th
de Laugardière   France 3rd–6th
Adjutant Lemoine   France 3rd–6th
Georges Leroy   France 3rd–6th
Charles Loizillon   France 3rd–6th
Luquetas   France 3rd–6th
Robert Marc   France 4th–6th
Massé   France 3rd–6th
de Meuse   France 3rd–6th
Miller   France 3rd–6th
Moreil   France 3rd–6th
Achille Morin   France 3rd–6th
Mosso   France 3rd–6th
Ivan, Viscount d'Oyley   United States[6] 3rd–6th
Peberay   France 3rd–6th
Mauricio, 4th Duke of Gor   Spain 3rd–6th
de Pradines   France 3rd–7th
Preurot   France 3rd–6th
Prosper   France 3rd–7th
Georges Redeuil   France 3rd–6th
Paul Robert   Switzerland 4th–6th
Charles Robinson   Great Britain 3rd–6th
Joseph Rodrigues   France 3rd–6th
Max Rodrigues   France 3rd–6th
André de Romilly   France 3rd–6th
Pierre Rosenbaum   France 3rd–7th
Salvanahac   France 3rd–6th
de Segonzac   France 3rd–6th
Joseph Sénat   France 3rd–6th
Willy Sulzbacher   France[5] 3rd
Jean Taillefer   France 4th–6th
Adolphe Thomegeux   France 3rd–6th
Pierre Thomegeux   France 4th–6th
André Tintant   France 3rd–6th
de la Tournable   France 3rd–6th
de Vars   France 3rd–6th
Véve   France 3rd–6th
Weber   France 3rd–7th

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c "Fencing at the 1900 Summer Olympics: Épée, Individual, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Mallon, Bill (11 July 2015). The 1900 Olympic Games Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary (Ebook). McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. p. 271. ISBN 9780786489527.
  3. ^ Robinson, Charles Edmund Newton (1911). "Épée-de-Combat" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 9 (11th ed.). pp. 667–669.
  4. ^ "André Tintant". Olympedia. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  5. ^ a b Sulzbacher was named to the Olympic Games by a German fencing club and is therefore listed in some sources, including the IOC's database at Olympic.org, as German. However, he was a French national living in France at the time of the Games; other sources, including Olympedia, more accurate list him as French.
  6. ^ a b Viscount d'Oyley was historically counted as French, but has been discovered to have been an American living in Paris. Modern sources, such as Olympedia, count him as competing for the United States.
  7. ^ These two competitors were among the 13 other quarterfinalists that had been defeated in quarterfinals A-E.