Fencing at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's épée

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Men's épée
at the Games of the IV Olympiad
Franco-British Exhibition
fencing grounds
DatesJuly 17–24
Competitors85 from 13 nations
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s) Gaston Alibert
 France
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Alexandre Lippmann
 France
3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Eugene Olivier
 France

The men's

Eugene Olivier
bronze. Officially, it was the second consecutive medal sweep in the event, though two of the three "Cuban" fencers who medaled in 1904 were actually American.

Background

This was the third 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]

None of the five fencers from 1904 returned.

Bohemia, Canada, Denmark, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, and Sweden each made their debut in the event. Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, and Italy each appeared for the second time, matching Cuba and the United States (both absent for the first time) 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. Barrages were used as necessary to determine the advancing fencers.

  • First round: 13 pools of between 5 and 8 fencers each. The 3 fencers in each pool with the fewest touches against advanced to the second round.
  • Second round: 8 pools of 5 fencers each (except one had only 4). The 2 fencers in each pool with the fewest touches against advanced to the semifinals.
  • Semifinals: 2 pools of 8 fencers each. The 4 fencers in each pool with the fewest touches against advanced to the final.
  • Final: 1 pool of 8 fencers.

Schedule

Date Time Round
Friday, 17 July 1908 Round 1 pools A–H
Saturday, 18 July 1908 10:30
14:30
Round 1 pools I–L
Round 1 pool M
Monday, 20 July 1908 10:30
17:15
Quarterfinals 1–4
Quarterfinals 5–8
Thursday, 23 July 1908 10:30
16:00
Semifinal 1
Semifinal 2
Friday, 24 July 1908 14:45 Final

Results

First round

The first round was conducted in round-robin format, to one touch. Pool sizes ranged from 5 to 8 fencers. Double-touches counted against both fencers. The three contestants who had been struck the fewest times advanced.

Pool A

Fildes and von Rosen had a double-touch, as did Stöhr and Fildes.

Rank Fencer Nation W L Notes
1
Lauritz Østrup
 Denmark 5 1 Q
2 Bernard Gravier  France 4 2 Q
Jaroslav Šourek-Tucek
 Bohemia 4 2 Q
4 Eric Carlberg  Sweden 3 3
5 Pontus von Rosen  Sweden 2 4[3]
6 Georg Stöhr  Germany 1 5
7 Luke Fildes  Great Britain 0 6

Pool B

Double-touches were between Gates and van Schreven, Jack and Gates, and Collignon and van Schreven.

Rank Fencer Nation W L Notes
1 Vlastimil Lada-Sázavský  Bohemia 5 1 Q
2 Charles Collignon  France 4 2 Q
3 Pietro Speciale  Italy 3 3 Q
4 Herbert Sander  Denmark 2 4
Johan van Schreven  Netherlands 2 4
6 Walter Gates  South Africa 1 5
Fritz Jack  Germany 1 5

Pool C

Blake and Dwinger had the only double-touch in this six-man pool.

Rank Fencer Nation W L Notes
1 Jacques Marais  France 5 0 Q
2 Ejnar Levison  Denmark 3 2 Q
Gaston Renard  Belgium 3 2 Q
4 Johannes Adam  Germany 1 4
John Blake
 Great Britain 1 4
Max Dwinger  Netherlands 1 4

Pool D

The fourth pool had 8 fencers. Berger was clearly the best of the crowd, going untouched in his seven bouts. When five different fencers tied for second place at 4 touches against apiece, a playoff round-robin was held. The first playoff eliminated only one fencer, with the remaining four again tying and forcing a second playoff. That round resulted in Holt and Tvrzský tying at 1 touch apiece, eliminating the other two fencers.

Rank Fencer Nation W L Notes
1
Henri-Georges Berger
 France 7 0 Q
2 Otto Becker  Denmark 3 4 B
Hans Bergsland  Norway 3 4 B
Dino Diana  Italy 3 4 B
Martin Holt
 Great Britain 3 4 B
Vilém Tvrzský  Bohemia 3 4 B
7 André Sarens  Belgium 1 6
George van Rossem  Netherlands 1 6
Barrage

Bergsland was hit three times, finishing sixth overall in the pool while the other four fencers in the playoff each received two hits to advance to a second playoff.

Rank Fencer Nation W L Notes
2 Otto Becker  Denmark 2 2 B
Dino Diana  Italy 2 2 B
Martin Holt  Great Britain 2 2 B
Vilém Tvrzský  Bohemia 2 2 B
6 Hans Bergsland  Norway 1 3
Second barrage

Holt and Tvrzský tied for an overall second-place finish in the pool with one touch against apiece (Tvrzský won the bout between the two, but was himself hit by Diana). Becker and Diana placed fourth.

Rank Fencer Nation W L Notes
2 Martin Holt  Great Britain 2 1 Q
Vilém Tvrzský  Bohemia 2 1 Q
4 Otto Becker  Denmark 1 2
Dino Diana  Italy 1 2

Pool E

The fifth pool also included 8 fencers, but did not require a playoff. The only touch against Alibert came in a double-touch with van Löben Sels.

Rank Fencer Nation W L Notes
1 Gaston Alibert  France 6 1 Q
2 Fernand de Montigny  Belgium 4 3 Q
Ivan Osiier
 Denmark 4 3 Q
4 Percival Davson  Great Britain 3 4
Sante Ceccherini  Italy 3 4
6 Otakar Lada  Bohemia 2 5
7 Robert Krünert  Germany 1 6
Maurits Jacob van Löben Sels
 Netherlands 1 6

Pool F

The sixth competition pool was smaller, with only 6 fencers.

Rank Fencer Nation W L Notes
1 François Rom  Belgium 4 1 Q
2 Giulio Cagiati  Italy 3 2 Q
Sydney Martineau  Great Britain 3 2 Q
4 Henry Peyron  Sweden 2 3
5 Albert Naumann  Germany 1 4
Bedřich Schejbal  Bohemia 1 4

Pool G

Rank Fencer Nation W L Notes
1 Leaf Daniell  Great Britain 5 1 Q
2 Vilém Goppold von Lobsdorf  Bohemia 4 2 Q
3 Fernand Bosmans  Belgium 3 3 B
Frédéric Dubourdieu  France 3 3 B
Emil Schön  Germany 3 3 B
6 Dezső Földes  Hungary 1 5
7 Willem Hubert van Blijenburgh  Netherlands 0 6
Barrage

The Official Report says only that Bosmans defeated Dubourdieu and Schön in the playoff, without giving further detail.

Rank Fencer Nation W L Notes
3 Fernand Bosmans  Belgium 2 0 Q
4 Frédéric Dubourdieu  France 0 1
Emil Schön  Germany 0 1

Pool H

Rank Fencer Nation W L Notes
1 Alfred Labouchere  Netherlands 5 1 Q
2 Paul Anspach  Belgium 4 2 Q
3 Ralph Chalmers  Great Britain 3 3 B
Jacques Rodocanachi  France 3 3 B
5
Jacob Erkrath de Bary
 Germany 2 4
Alessandro Pirzio Biroli  Italy 2 4
7 František Dušek[4]  Bohemia 0 6
Barrage

The single bout between Rodocanachi and Chalmers to break the tie for third resulted in a win for the Frenchman.

Rank Fencer Nation W L Notes
3 Jacques Rodocanachi  France 1 0 Q
4 Ralph Chalmers  Great Britain 0 1

Pool I

The ninth pool was the first of the second day of competition, 18 July.

Rank Fencer Nation W L Notes
1 Robert Montgomerie  Great Britain 5 1 Q
2 Gustaf Lindblom  Sweden 3 3 B
Giuseppe Mangiarotti  Italy 3 3 B
Robert Quennessen  France 3 3 B
5 Frantz Jørgensen  Denmark 2 4
6
Percy Nobbs
 Canada 0 6
August Petri  Germany 0 6
Barrage

Mangiarotti was defeated in the three-way playoff for the two remaining advancement spots.

Rank Fencer Nation W L Notes
2 Gustaf Lindblom  Sweden 1 0 Q
Robert Quennessen  France 1 0 Q
4 Giuseppe Mangiarotti  Italy 0 2

Pool J

Rank Fencer Nation W L Notes
1 Edgar Amphlett  Great Britain 4 1 Q
Jetze Doorman  Netherlands 4 1 Q
3 Eugène Olivier  France 3 2 Q
4
Zulavszky Béla
 Hungary 1 4
Ernst Moldenhauer  Germany 1 4
Pietro Sarzano  Italy 1 4

Pool K

The eleventh pool was the smallest, with only 5 fencers.

Rank Fencer Nation W L Notes
1
Marcelo Bertinetti
 Italy 3 1 Q
2 Cecil Haig  Great Britain 2 2 B
Pierre le Blon  Belgium 2 2 B
Simon Okker  Netherlands 2 2 B
5
Georg Branting
 Sweden 0 4
Barrage

In the playoff for the second and third spots, le Blon and Haig advanced. Okker was eliminated.

Rank Fencer Nation W L Notes
2 Pierre le Blon  Belgium 1 0 Q
Cecil Haig  Great Britain 1 0 Q
4 Simon Okker  Netherlands 0 2

Pool L

Rank Fencer Nation W L Notes
1 Alexandre Lippmann  France 4 1 Q
François Stuyck  Belgium 4 1 Q
3 Riccardo Nowak  Italy 3 2 Q
4 Birger Cnattingius  Sweden 1 4
Edgar Seligman  Great Britain 1 4
6 Gösta Olson  Sweden 0 5

Pool M

The final pool also had only 5 fencers.

Rank Fencer Nation W L Notes
1 Jean Stern  France 3 1 Q
2 Henri Davids  Great Britain 2 2 Q
Marcel van Langenhove  Belgium 2 2 Q
4 Julius Lichtenfels  Germany 1 3
Tóth Péter  Hungary 1 3

Quarterfinals

Seven of the eight second round pools had 5 fencers, with the eighth having only 4. 2 advanced to the semifinals from each pool.

Quarterfinal 1

Rank Fencer Nation W L Notes
1 Pierre le Blon  Belgium 3 1 Q
2 Jetze Doorman  Netherlands 2 2 B
Jean Stern  France 2 2 B
4 François Stuyck  Belgium 1 3
5 Ejnar Levison  Denmark 0 4
Barrage

Doorman again lost to Stern in the playoff bout.

Rank Fencer Nation W L Notes
2 Jean Stern  France 1 0 Q
3 Jetze Doorman  Netherlands 0 1

Quarterfinal 2

Rank Fencer Nation W L Notes
1 Lauritz Østrup  Denmark 3 1 Q
2 Ivan Osiier  Denmark 2 2 B
Gaston Renard  Belgium 2 2 B
Jacques Rodocanachi  France 2 2 B
5 Edgar Amphlett  Great Britain 1 3
Barrage

Renard won the playoff pool, with no further details given in the Official Report.

Rank Fencer Nation W L Notes
2 Gaston Renard  Belgium 2 0 Q
3 Ivan Osiier  Denmark 0 1
Jacques Rodocanachi  France 0 1

Quarterfinal 3

Alibert continued on his perfect streak, winning four more bouts untouched.

Rank Fencer Nation W L Notes
1 Gaston Alibert  France 4 0 Q
2 Henri-Georges Berger  France 2 2 B
Vilém Goppold von Lobsdorf  Bohemia 2 2 B
4 Pietro Speciale  Italy 1 3
5 Henri Davids  Great Britain 0 4
Barrage

Berger won the playoff, defeating von Lobsdorf again.

Rank Fencer Nation W L Notes
2 Henri-Georges Berger  France 1 0 Q
3 Vilém Goppold von Lobsdorf  Bohemia 0 1

Quarterfinal 4

Rank Fencer Nation W L Notes
1 Martin Holt  Great Britain 3 1 Q
2 Bernard Gravier  France 2 2 B
Robert Montgomerie  Great Britain 2 2 B
Vilém Tvrzský  Bohemia 2 2 B
5 Jacques Marais  France 1 3
Barrage

Montgomerie won against Gravier and Tvrzský in the three-way playoff for the second semifinal spot.

Rank Fencer Nation W L Notes
2 Robert Montgomerie  Great Britain 2 0 Q
3 Bernard Gravier  France 0 1
Vilém Tvrzský  Bohemia 0 1

Quarterfinal 5

Rank Fencer Nation W L Notes
1 Gustaf Lindblom  Sweden 3 1 Q
Alexandre Lippmann  France 3 1 Q
3 Leaf Daniell  Great Britain 2 2
4 Marcelo Bertinetti  Italy 1 3
5 Vlastimil Lada-Sázavský  Bohemia 0 4

Quarterfinal 6

Rank Fencer Nation W L Notes
1 François Rom  Belgium 3 1 Q
2 Fernand Bosmans  Belgium 2 2 Q
3 Charles Colignon  France 1 3
Marcel van Langenhove  Belgium 1 3
Riccardo Nowak  Italy 1 3

Quarterfinal 7

Rank Fencer Nation W L Notes
1 Paul Anspach  Belgium 3 1 Q
2 Alfred Labouchere  Netherlands 2 2 B
Sydney Martineau  Great Britain 2 2 B
Fernand de Montigny  Belgium 2 2 B
5 Jaroslav Šourek-Tucek  Bohemia 1 3
Barrage

Labouchere won the three-way playoff for second place and a semifinal spot.

Rank Fencer Nation W L Notes
2 Alfred Labouchere  Netherlands 2 0 Q
3 Sydney Martineau  Great Britain 0 1
Fernand de Montigny  Belgium 0 1

Quarterfinal 8

Rank Fencer Nation W L Notes
1 Cecil Haig  Great Britain 2 1 Q
Eugène Olivier  France 2 1 Q
3 Giulio Cagiati  Italy 1 2
Robert Quennessen  France 1 2

Semifinals

There were two semifinals, each of 8 fencers. The top 4 in each advanced to the final.

Semifinal 1

Alibert was hit twice, both in double-touches.

Rank Fencer Nation W L Notes
1 Gaston Alibert  France 5 2 Q
2 Cecil Haig  Great Britain 4 3 Q
Alfred Labouchere  Netherlands 4 3 Q
4 Robert Montgomerie  Great Britain 3 4 Q
5 Henri-Georges Berger  France 2 5
Gaston Renard  Belgium 2 5
François Rom  Belgium 2 5
8 Fernand Bosmans  Belgium 0 7

Semifinal 2

Rank Fencer Nation W L Notes
1 Paul Anspach  Belgium 5 2 Q
2 Martin Holt  Great Britain 4 3 Q
3 Alexandre Lippmann  France 3 4 B
Eugène Olivier  France 3 4 B
Jean Stern  France 3 4 B
6 Gustaf Lindblom  Sweden 2 5
Lauritz Østrup  Denmark 2 5
8 Pierre le Blon  Belgium 1 6
Barrage
Rank Fencer Nation W L Notes
3 Alexandre Lippmann  France 2 0 Q
4 Eugène Olivier  France 1 1 Q
5 Jean Stern  France 0 2

Final

The final resulted in Alibert taking the championship after again hitting all opponents, though he suffered another pair of double-touches. There was a three-way tie for second place between two Frenchman and Montgomerie of the British team.

Rank Fencer Nation W L Notes
1st place, gold medalist(s) Gaston Alibert  France 5 2
2 Alexandre Lippmann  France 4 3 B
Robert Montgomerie  Great Britain 4 3 B
Eugène Olivier  France 4 3 B
5 Paul Anspach  Belgium 2 5
Cecil Haig  Great Britain 2 5
Alfred Labouchere  Netherlands 2 5
8 Martin Holt  Great Britain 1 6
Barrage

The playoff pool for second and third resulted in wins for the two French fencers, completing France's medal sweep in the event.

Rank Fencer Nation W L
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Alexandre Lippmann  France 2 0
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Eugène Olivier  France 1 1
4 Robert Montgomerie  Great Britain 0 2

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) Gaston Alibert  France 6 1 1st 4 0 1st 5 2 1st 5 2 20 5
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Alexandre Lippmann  France 4 1 1st 3 1 1st 3+2 4+0 3rd 4+2 3+0 18 9
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Eugène Olivier  France 3 2 3rd 2 1 1st 3+1 4+1 4th 4+1 3+1 14 12
4 Robert Montgomerie  Great Britain 5 1 1st 2+2 2+0 2nd 3 4 4th 4+0 3+2 16 11
5 Paul Anspach  Belgium 4 2 2nd 3 1 1st 5 2 1st 2 5 14 10
Cecil Haig  Great Britain 2+1 2+0 2nd 2 1 1st 4 3 2nd 2 5 11 11
Alfred Labouchere  Netherlands 5 1 1st 2+2 2+0 2nd 4 3 2nd 2 5 15 11
8 Martin Holt  Great Britain 3+2+2 4+2+1 2nd 3 1 1st 4 3 2nd 1 6 15 17
9
Henri-Georges Berger
 France 7 0 1st 2+1 2+0 2nd 2 5 5th Did not advance 12 7
Gaston Renard  Belgium 3 2 2nd 2+2 2+0 2nd 2 5 5th 9 9
François Rom  Belgium 4 1 1st 3 1 1st 2 5 5th 9 7
Jean Stern  France 3 1 1st 2+1 2+0 2nd 3+0 4+2 5th 9 9
13 Gustaf Lindblom  Sweden 3+1 3+0 2nd 3 1 1st 2 5 6th 9 9
Lauritz Østrup
 Denmark 5 1 1st 3 1 1st 2 5 6th 10 7
15 Pierre le Blon  Belgium 2+1 2+0 2nd 3 1 1st 1 6 8th 7 9
Fernand Bosmans  Belgium 3+2 3+0 3rd 2 2 2nd 0 7 8th 7 12
17 Giulio Cagiati  Italy 3 2 2nd 1 2 3rd Did not advance 4 4
Charles Colignon  France 4 2 2nd 1 3 3rd 5 5
Leaf Daniell  Great Britain 5 1 1st 2 2 3rd 7 3
Jetze Doorman  Netherlands 4 1 1st 2+0 2+1 3rd 6 4
Bernard Gravier  France 4 2 2nd 2+0 2+1 3rd 6 5
Marcel van Langenhove  Belgium 2 2 2nd 1 3 3rd 3 5
Vilém Goppold von Lobsdorf  Bohemia 4 2 2nd 2+0 2+1 3rd 6 5
Sydney Martineau  Great Britain 3 2 2nd 2+0 2+1 3rd 5 5
Fernand de Montigny  Belgium 4 3 2nd 2+0 2+1 3rd 6 6
Riccardo Nowak  Italy 3 2 3rd 1 3 3rd 4 5
Ivan Osiier
 Denmark 4 3 2nd 2+0 2+1 3rd 6 6
Robert Quennessen  France 3+1 3+0 2nd 1 2 3rd 5 5
Jacques Rodocanachi  France 3+1 3+0 3rd 2+0 2+1 3rd 6 6
Vilém Tvrzský  Bohemia 3+2+2 4+2+1 2nd 2+0 2+1 3rd 9 10
31
Marcelo Bertinetti
 Italy 3 1 1st 1 3 4th 4 4
Pietro Speciale  Italy 3 3 3rd 1 3 4th 4 6
François Stuyck  Belgium 4 1 1st 1 3 4th 5 4
34 Edgar Amphlett  Great Britain 4 1 1st 1 3 5th 5 4
Henri Davids  Great Britain 2 2 2nd 0 4 5th 2 6
Vlastimil Lada-Sázavský  Bohemia 5 1 1st 0 4 5th 5 5
Ejnar Levison  Denmark 3 2 2nd 0 4 5th 3 6
Jacques Marais  France 5 0 1st 1 3 5th 6 3
Jaroslav Šourek-Tucek
 Bohemia 4 2 2nd 1 3 5th 5 5
40 Johannes Adam  Germany 1 4 4th Did not advance 1 4
Otto Becker  Denmark 3+2+1 4+2+2 4th 6 8
Zulavszky Béla
 Hungary 1 4 4th 1 4
John Blake
 Great Britain 1 4 4th 1 4
Eric Carlberg  Sweden 3 3 4th 3 3
Sante Ceccherini  Italy 3 4 4th 3 4
Ralph Chalmers  Great Britain 3+0 3+1 4th 3 4
Birger Cnattingius  Sweden 1 4 4th 1 4
Percival Davson  Great Britain 3 4 4th 3 4
Dino Diana  Italy 3+2+1 4+2+2 4th 6 8
Frédéric Dubourdieu  France 3+0 3+1 4th 3 4
Max Dwinger  Netherlands 1 4 4th 1 4
Julius Lichtenfels  Germany 1 3 4th 1 3
Giuseppe Mangiarotti  Italy 3+0 3+2 4th 3 5
Ernst Moldenhauer  Germany 1 4 4th 1 4
Simon Okker  Netherlands 2+0 2+2 4th 2 4
Henry Peyron  Sweden 2 3 4th 2 3
Herbert Sander  Denmark 2 4 4th 2 4
Pietro Sarzano  Italy 1 4 4th 1 4
Emil Schön  Germany 3+0 3+1 4th 3 4
Johan van Schreven  Netherlands 2 4 4th 2 4
Edgar Seligman  Great Britain 1 4 4th 1 4
Tóth Péter  Hungary 1 3 4th 1 3
63
Jacob Erkrath de Bary
 Germany 2 4 5th 2 4
Georg Branting
 Sweden 0 4 5th 0 4
Frantz Jørgensen  Denmark 2 4 5th 2 4
Albert Naumann  Germany 1 4 5th 1 4
Alessandro Pirzio Biroli  Italy 2 4 5th 2 4
Pontus von Rosen  Sweden 2 4[3] 5th 2 4
Bedrich Schejbal
 Bohemia 1 4 5th 1 4
70 Hans Bergsland  Norway 3+1 4+3 6th 4 7
Dezső Földes  Hungary 1 5 6th 1 5
Walter Gates  South Africa 1 5 6th 1 5
Fritz Jack  Germany 1 5 6th 1 5
Otakar Lada  Bohemia 2 5 6th 2 5
Percy Nobbs
 Canada 0 6 6th 0 6
Gösta Olson  Sweden 0 5 6th 0 5
August Petri  Germany 0 6 6th 0 6
Georg Stöhr  Germany 1 5 6th 1 5
79 Luke Fildes  Great Britain 0 6 7th 0 6
Willem Hubert van Blijenburgh  Netherlands 0 6 7th 0 6
Robert Krünert  Germany 1 6 7th 1 6
Maurits Jacob van Löben Sels
 Netherlands 1 6 7th 1 6
George van Rossem  Netherlands 1 6 7th 1 6
André Sarens  Belgium 1 6 7th 1 6
František Dušek[4]  Bohemia 0 6 7th 0 6

References

  1. ^ a b c "Épée, Individual, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  2. ^ Official Report, p.34.
  3. ^ a b The Official Report lists von Rosen's hits against as "3", but shows him being hit by Carlberg, Gravier, and Østrup as well as scoring a double-touch against Fildes for a total of 4 hits against.
  4. ^ a b "comdat.w.interia.pl" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 6 May 2006.

Sources

  • Cook, Theodore Andrea (1908). The Fourth Olympiad, Being the Official Report. London: British Olympic Association.
  • De Wael, Herman. Herman's Full Olympians: "Fencing 1908". Accessed 29 April 2006. Available electronically at [1] Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine.