The men's épée was one of four fencing events on the Fencing at the 1908 Summer Olympics programme. The competition was held from 17 to 24 July 1908 at the Franco-British Exhibition fencing grounds.[1] There were 85 competitors from 13 nations.[1] Each nation could enter up to 12 fencers.[2] The medals were swept by the French fencers, who also took the gold medal in the team épée event. Gaston Alibert was the gold medalist, with Alexandre Lippmann taking silver and 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.
| Men's épée at the Games of the IV Olympiad | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 French épéeists at the 1908 Games, including individual medalists Alibert, Lippman, and Olivier (seated, from left) | ||||||||||
| Venue | Franco-British Exhibition fencing grounds | |||||||||
| Dates | July 17–24 | |||||||||
| Competitors | 85 from 13 nations | |||||||||
| Medalists | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Alexandre Lippmann | France | 2 | 0 |
 | Eugène Olivier | France | 1 | 1 |
| 4 | Robert Montgomerie | Great Britain | 0 | 2 |
Results summary
References
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.