2008 Summer Olympics / Fencing

Fencing at the 2008 Summer Olympics
information
venue	Beijing
Competition venue	Olympic Green Convention Center
Nations	45
Athletes	234 (116 , 118 )
date	9-17 August 2008
decisions	10
← Athens 2004 London 2012 →

At the XXIX. The 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing hosted ten fencing competitions. The venue was the Olympic Green Convention Center (Chinese 国家 会议 中心 , Guójiā Huìyì Zhōngxīn).

Balance sheet

Hall for fencing competitions

Medal table

space	country				total
1	France	2	2	-	4th
2	Italy	2	-	5	7th
3	Germany	2	-	-	2
4th	United States	1	3	2	6th
5	China	1	1	-	2
6th	Russia	1	-	-	1
	Ukraine	1	-	-	1
8th	Romania	-	1	1	2
9	Japan	-	1	-	1
	Poland	-	1	-	1
	South Korea	-	1	-	1
12	Spain	-	-	1	1
	Hungary	-	-	1	1

Medalist

Men competitor gold silver bronze Epee single Matteo Tagliariol Fabrice Jeannet José Luis Abajo Epee team Fabrice Jeannet Jérôme Jeannet Ulrich Robeiri Robert Andrzejuk Tomasz Motyka Adam Wiercioch Radosław Zawrotniak Stefano Carozzo Diego Confalonieri Alfredo Rota Matteo Tagliariol Foil single Benjamin Kleibrink Yūki Ōta Salvatore Sanzo Saber single Zhong Man Nicolas Lopez Mihai Covaliu Saber crew Nicolas Lopez Julien Pillet Boris Sanson Timothy Morehouse Jason Rogers Keeth Smart James Williams Aldo Montano Diego Occhiuzzi Giampiero Pastore Luigi Tarantino

Women competitor gold silver bronze Epee single Britta Heidemann Ana Maria Brânză Ildikó Mincza-Nébald Foil single Valentina Vezzali Nam Hyun-hee Margherita Granbassi Foil team Svetlana Boiko Yevgenia Lamonova Viktorija Nikischina Aida Schanajewa Emily Cross Erinn Smart Hanna Thompson Margherita Granbassi Ilaria Salvatori Giovanna Trillini Valentina Vezzali Saber single Mariel Zagunis Sada Jacobson Rebecca Ward Saber crew Olha Charlan Olena Chomrowa Halyna Pundyk Olha Shownir Huang Haiyang Ni Hong Tan Xue Bao Yingying Sada Jacobson Rebecca Ward Dagmara Wozniak Mariel Zagunis

qualification

In the team competitions, there were eight or nine teams with three participants each: eight who qualified regularly, and possibly the team from the host country. The individual competitions had about 39 participants per weapon who also took part in the team competitions and about 24 who did not take part in the team competitions. The world ranking of March 31, 2008 was decisive for the qualification. The four best placed teams of the team world ranking of the respective weapon as well as the best placed team in each of the four zones ( Africa , America , Asia / Oceania and Europe ) were eligible to start the team competitions . In addition, if not directly qualified, the People's Republic of China was the host's team.

In the individual weapons competitions, where there were also team competitions, three participants from each nation of the team competition were allowed to start. In addition, there were the three best placed athletes in the world rankings and of the not yet qualified the best placed in the world rankings per zone (two each from America, Asia / Oceania and Europe, only one starter from Africa). The last five starting places (two for Europe and one for each of the three other zones) were awarded at qualifying tournaments. In the individual weapons competitions, in which no team competitions were held, the top eight in the world rankings were directly qualified. There were also the next best athletes in the world rankings per zone: three from Europe, two from Asia / Oceania and America and one participant from Africa. The same number of starting places per zone was awarded again for additional qualification tournaments.

Results men

Epee single

space	country	athlete
1	ITA	Matteo Tagliariol
2	FRA	Fabrice Jeannet
3	ESP	José Luis Abajo
4th	HUN	Gábor Boczkó
5	COR	Jung Jin-sun
6th	POLE	Radosław Zawrotniak
7th	ITA	Diego Confalonieri
8th	NED	Bas Verwijlen

Date: August 10, 2008
41 participants from 23 countries

Surprisingly, the Italian Matteo Tagliariol won the title in the final against the French Fabrice Jeannet . After Jeannet's 2-0 lead in the meantime, Tagliarol was able to pull away to 8: 3 and finally set the decisive fifteenth goal to 15: 9. José Luis Abajo won the first fencing medal ever for Spain, as he made the first point after 56 seconds in the extension of the fight for third place (7: 7 after three rounds of regular fighting time). The Swiss Michael Kauter made it to the last sixteen, but there he was defeated by the Dutchman Bas Verwijlen . There were no Germans or Austrians at the start.

	Quarter finals				Semifinals				final
	Abajo	14th
	Confalonieri	13
					Abajo	12
					Tagliariol	15th
	Verwijlen	11
	Tagliariol	15th
									Tagliariol	15th
									Jeannet	9
	Young	11
	Jeannet	15th
					Jeannet	15th			3rd place
					Boczkó	12
	Zawrotniak	8th							Abajo	8th
	Boczkó	15th							Boczkó	7th

Epee team

space	country	athlete
1	FRA	Fabrice Jeannet Jérôme Jeannet Ulrich Robeiri
2	POLE	Robert Andrzejuk Tomasz Motyka Adam Wiercioch Radosław Zawrotniak
3	ITA	Stefano Carozzo Diego Confalonieri Alfredo Rota Matteo Tagliariol
4th	CHN	Dong Guotao Lie Guojie Wang Lei Yin Lianchi
5	HUN	Gábor Boczkó Géza Imre Iván Kovács Krisztián Kulcsár
6th	VEN	Silvio Fernández Rubén Limardo Francisco Limardo
7th	UKR	Maksym Chworost Vitaly Medvedev Bohdan Nikischyn Dmytro Tschumak
8th	COR	Jung Jin-sun Kim Seung-gu Kim Won-jin

Date: August 15, 2008
32 participants from 9 countries.

Not surprisingly, the French Degen team defended their Olympic victory and beat Poland 45:29 in the final. The brothers Fabrice Jeannet and Jérôme Jeannet and Ulrich Robeiri thus achieved the ninth title for France in this discipline. Bronze went to Italy for individual Olympic champion Matteo Tagliariol . For the first time since 1952 there were no German fencers at the start.

	Quarter finals				Semifinals				final
	Hungary	43
	China	45
					China	44
					Poland	45
	Ukraine	37
	Poland	45
									Poland	29
									France	45
	Italy	45
	South Korea	37
					Italy	39			3rd place
					France	45
	Venezuela	33							China	35
	France	45							Italy	45

Foil single

space	country	athlete
1	GER	Benjamin Kleibrink
2	JPN	Yūki Ōta
3	ITA	Salvatore Sanzo
4th	CHN	Zhu Jun
5	GER	Peter Joppich
6th	ITA	Andrea Cassarà
7th	FRA	Erwann Le Péchoux
8th	CHN	Lei Sheng

Date: August 13, 2008
26 participants from 21 countries

Benjamin Kleibrink won the first gold medal in fencing for the German Olympic team since 1992. In the final he defeated his opponent Yūki Ōta quite clearly with 15: 9, and in the semifinals he even defeated the Chinese Zhu Jun with 15: 4. The Austrian participant Roland Schlosser failed in the second round, the German favorite Peter Joppich was defeated in the quarter-finals to the finalist Yūki Ōta.

	Quarter finals				Semifinals				final
	Cassarà	14th
	Zhu	15th
					Zhu	4th
					Kleibrink	15th
	Kleibrink	15th
	Lei	7th
									Kleibrink	15th
									Ōta	9
	Le Pechoux	9
	Sanzo	10
					Sanzo	14th			3rd place
					Ōta	15th
	Ōta	15th							Zhu	14th
	Yeah	12							Sanzo	15th

Saber single

space	country	athlete
1	CHN	Zhong Man
2	FRA	Nicolas Lopez
3	ROME	Mihai Covaliu
4th	FRA	Julien Pillet
5	ITA	Luigi Tarantino
6th	United States	Keeth Smart
7th	ESP	Jorge Pina
8th	BLR	Alyaksandr Bujkewitsch

Date: August 12, 2008
40 participants from 21 countries

Many favorites, including the German world number one Nicolas Limbach , failed prematurely, so that none of the top six in the world rankings were still in the semi-finals. Mihai Covaliu from Romania, the 2000 winner, also missed the finals. In this, the Chinese Zhong Man fought against Nicolas Lopez from France with 15: 9, the first fencing gold medal for China. There were no Austrians or Swiss among the participants.

	Quarter finals				Semifinals				final
	Tarantino	13
	Zhong	15th
					Zhong	15th
					Pillet	12
	Smart	13
	Pillet	15th
									Zhong	15th
									Lopez	9
	Pina	10
	Lopez	15th
					Lopez	15th			3rd place
					Covaliu	13
	Covaliu	15th							Pillet	11
	Bujkevich	13							Covaliu	15th

Saber crew

space	country	athlete
1	FRA	Nicolas Lopez Julien Pillet Boris Sanson
2	United States	Timothy Morehouse Jason Rogers Keeth Smart James Williams
3	ITA	Aldo Montano Diego Occhiuzzi Giampiero Pastore Luigi Tarantino
4th	RUS	Alexei Jakimenko Nikolai Kovaljow Stanislav Posdnyakov
5	BLR	Aljaksandr Bujkewitsch Dzmitryi Lapkes Waler Pryjomka Aljaksej Ramanavich
6th	CHN	Huang Yaojiang Wang Jingzhi Zhong Man Zhou Hanming
7th	HUN	Tamás Decsi Balázs Lontay Zsolt Nemcsik Áron Szilágyi
8th	EGY	Tamim Ghazy Gamal Fathy Mahmoud Samir Shati Talaat

Date: August 17th, 2008
25 participants from 8 countries

The French fencers won the team's second title 45:37 against the United States. The battle for third place, where Italy defeated Russia 45:44, was a little closer.

	Quarter finals				Semifinals				final
	France	45
	Egypt	31
					France	45
					Italy	41
	Belarus	39
	Italy	45
									France	45
									United States	37
	Russia	45
	China	36
					Russia	44			3rd place
					United States	45
	United States	45							Italy	45
	Hungary	44							Russia	44

Results women

Epee single

space	country	sportswoman
1	GER	Britta Heidemann
2	ROME	Ana Maria Brânză
3	HUN	Ildikó Mincza-Nébald
4th	CHN	Li Na
5	GER	Imke Duplitzer
6th	RUS	Lyubov Shutova
7th	FRA	Laura Flessel-Colovic
8th	SWE	Emma Samuelsson

Date: August 13, 2008
25 participants from 20 countries

	Quarter finals				Semifinals				final
	Heidemann	15th
	Samuelsson	10
					Heidemann	15th
					Li	13
	Flessel-Colovic	10
	Li	15th
									Heidemann	15th
									Brânză	11
	Doublers	11
	Mincza-Nébald	15th
					Mincza-Nébald	14th			3rd place
					Brânză	15th
	Shutova	13							Li	11
	Brânză	15th							Mincza-Nébald	15th

Foil single

space	country	sportswoman
1	ITA	Valentina Vezzali
2	COR	Nam Hyun-hee
3	ITA	Margherita Granbassi
4th	ITA	Giovanna Trillini
5	HUN	Edina Knapek
6th	RUS	Yevgenia Lamonova
7th	JPN	Chieko Sugawara
8th	GER	Katja Wächter

Date: August 11, 2008
41 participants from 24 countries

Valentina Vezzali has already won her fifth Olympic gold medal and her third in a row in foil singles. So she now leads the ranking of the most successful female fencers at the Olympic Games. After trailing 4: 5 in the final against South Korean Nam Hyun-hee , who was the only one able to prevent the Italians from completely winning, she was able to turn the battle around and won with a goal four seconds before the end with 6: 5. The three German participants Katja Wächter , Carolin Golubytskyi and Anja Schache were eliminated in the quarter-finals, the second round and the second round.

	Quarter finals				Semifinals				final
	Trillini	15th
	Guardian	8th
					Trillini	10
					Nam	15th
	Sugawara	10
	Nam	15th
									Nam	5
									Vezzali	6th
	Granbassi	12
	Lamonova	7th
					Granbassi	3			3rd place
					Vezzali	12
	Knapek	3							Trillini	12
	Vezzali	15th							Granbassi	15th

Foil team

space	country	Sportswomen
1	RUS	Svetlana Boiko Yevgenia Lamonova Viktorija Nikischina Aida Schanajewa
2	United States	Emily Cross Erinn Smart Hanna Thompson
3	ITA	Margherita Granbassi Ilaria Salvatori Giovanna Trillini Valentina Vezzali
4th	HUN	Edina Knapek Aida Mohamed Virginie Ujlaki Gabriella Varga
5	GER	Carolin Golubytskyi Anja Schache Katja Wächter Melanie Wolgast
6th	CHN	Huang Jialing Su Wanwen Sun Chao Zhang Lei
7th	POLE	Karolina Chlewińska Sylwia Gruchała Małgorzata Wojtkowiak Magdalena Mroczkiewicz
8th	EGY	Eman El Gammal Shaimaa El-Gammal Iman Shaban Salma Soueif

Date: August 16, 2008
29 participants from 8 countries

In the only team final with German participation, Katja Wächter , Carolin Golubytskyi , Anja Schache and Melanie Wolgast had to give up their hopes for a medal in the quarter-finals when they lost 31:35 against Hungary. In the battles for fifth place, however, they won twice and finally came fifth. Russia won the final; the team clearly won 28:11 over the United States.

	Quarter finals				Semifinals				final
	Russia	45
	Egypt	23
					Russia	22nd
					Italy	21st
	China	24
	Italy	37
									Russia	28
									United States	11
	Hungary	35
	Germany	31
					Hungary	33			3rd place
					United States	35
	United States	31							Italy	32
	Poland	30th							Hungary	23

Saber single

space	country	sportswoman
1	United States	Mariel Zagunis
2	United States	Sada Jacobson
3	United States	Rebecca Ward
4th	RUS	Sofja Velikaya
5	CHN	Tan Xue
6th	CHN	Bao Yingying
7th	TO DO	Azza Besbès
8th	UKR	Olena Khomrowa

Date: August 9, 2008
39 participants from 20 countries

Winning all three medals in a fencing competition, as the United States did this time , was last achieved by the German women on foil twenty years ago. Mariel Zagunis won the final with 15: 8 goals against Sada Jacobson . In the battle for third place, Rebecca Ward secured the complete set of medals for the USA with 15:14 goals against the Russian Sofja Velikaja . The only German starter, Alexandra Bujdosó , was eliminated in the second round .

	Quarter finals				Semifinals				final
	Jacobson	15th
	Khomrowa	11
					Jacobson	15th
					Velikaya	11
	Velikaya	15th
	Tan	9
									Jacobson	8th
									Zagunis	15th
	Bao	9
	Zagunis	15th
					Zagunis	15th			3rd place
					Ward	11
	Besbès	14th							Velikaya	14th
	Ward	15th							Ward	15th

Saber crew

space	country	Sportswomen
1	UKR	Olha Charlan Olena Chomrowa Halyna Pundyk Olha Shownir
2	CHN	Huang Haiyang Ni Hong Tan Xue Bao Yingying
3	United States	Sada Jacobson Rebecca Ward Dagmara Wozniak Mariel Zagunis
4th	FRA	Solenn Mary Léonore Perrus Anne-Lise Touya Carole Vergne
5	RUS	Ekaterina Dyachenko Ekaterina Fedorkina Jelena Netschajewa Sofja Velikaja
6th	POLE	Bogna Jóźwiak Małgorzata Kozaczuk Aleksandra Socha Irena Więckowska
7th	CAN	Julie Cloutier Olga Ovtschinikowa Wendy Saschenbrecker Sandra Sassine
8th	RSA	Jyoti Chetti Adele du Plooy Shelley Gosher Elvira Wood

Date: August 14, 2008
30 participants from 8 countries

	Quarter finals				Semifinals				final
	United States	45
	South Africa	8th
					United States	39
					Ukraine	45
	Ukraine	45
	Russia	34
									Ukraine	45
									China	44
	China	45
	Poland	25th
					China	45			3rd place
					France	38
	Canada	22nd							United States	45
	France	45							France	38

Web links

Commons : 2008 Summer Olympics / Fencing  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Fencing at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )
• Official results of the 2008 Summer Olympics (PDF, 25.9 MB)